One Word Tyler (Tyler Scheid love story)
by Pursuer
Summary: I wake up in a cold sweat and decide to pack my things and run away. Where to? Los Angeles, California. But how will this all work out? Since I love video games, let's try to solve it by going to Vid Con. Do you think I'll be able to meet someone to help me? Let's find out. Hey guys! This is a Tyler Scheid x OC love story hehe if you not like, you not read, plz don't bash tnx!
1. Free

Grace's P.O.V

My chest is tight.

I can't breathe.

I open my eyes and clutch at my chest, trying to force my lungs to move and continue to filter out the air that my body is dying for.

I couldn't take this torment anymore. I slowly sat up in my bed and stared at my deoxygenated hands, turning pale from the poor circulation of my blood. But I took an agonizingly slow, deep and painful breath in, held it in and let it out. I sneak off my bed and grab my largest bag. Unfortunately, my big roller bags are in the other room, but trust me it is NOT worth sneaking out to grab one. The largest bag that I had at the moment was a normal black backpack with colorful triangles and a puffy key chain of pusheen that my best friend gave me on my 21st birthday. I didn't pack much stuff, I'm not gonna say necessities because I hardly consider the things in my bag necessities. But of course I pack the stuff that I need to live like a few sets of clothes, my gadgets, important documents and other stuff, but I made sure that I left enough space so it won't be too heavy to carry. I do have a separate little sling bag where I put my phone and money and stuff, but I also don't forget to bring my trusted friend Lachrymose with me, a medium stuffed dog holding a heart that says 'Love Me'. I pray to God to watch over me and give me guidance before sneaking out of my house. I take my bike and ride away to my best friend's house.

I don't bother knocking on her door. I took out a pen and ripped a blank page from my journal and started writing her a letter. I didn't want to sound too squishy or sentimental so I didn't write a lot. I just told her that I had enough and I'm leaving for the states. I climbed up the lattice that lead up to her window and slipped it through. I tried hard not to cry as I watched her sleep peacefully with her bed in a mess. I couldn't bare to stare any longer without bursting into tears so I kissed the tip of my fingers and planted it on her window.

"Bye, my sweet little girl. I'll see you again soon." I whispered, then climbed back down the lattice. I got back on my bike and biked all the way to the airport.

Luckily, I was able to book a flight right before I left my house and the extra hours that I put into earning the money that I had been saving up really paid off. It was 2 AM in the morning, I already passed the immigration and had around 30 minutes before I had to board the plane. and I spend that time in the waiting area with free wifi, deleting all means of contact and social media. I left my best friend the info of the new profile I'll be creating as soon as I settle down in LA. I save all of my important photos and memories onto my hard drive and did a factory reset on my phone to be safe, but my parents were never really that techy anyway, so I doubt that they'll be able to find me anytime soon.

"Last call for Flight number XXXXXX bound for Los Angeles, California. Please proceed to gate 4." The lady over the intercom announced. I smiled and stood up. As I pass by the trash can, I snap my sim card in two and throw it away. As the announcement repeated, I happily held lachrymose by the hand and made my way to the boarding gate. The stewardesses hastily accommodated me and I sat down and slumped back into the seat.

Oh sorry, I haven't introduced myself, haven't I? My name is Grace, Grace Navarro and I came from Manila, Philippines. I am 22 years old and I just ran away from my parents. I am in my junior year in college, studying to be a Medical Technician. I have dark, brunette, medium-length, wavy hair and side bangs that stop at my cheeks and I wear big, thick rimmed, black glasses. I pop on my head phones and crank up my tunes as I peacefully doze off.

~Time Skip (Grace finally lands in LA after a 16 hour-long flight)~

With headphones still on my ears, I walked passed the people greeting their loved ones. Some were greeted by their partner, others greeted by their family members, others greeted by their friends, it would seem that I was the only one who walked out by myself. I took a deep breath and took my first step out of the airport and officially onto the United States of America. However, the only problem now is where to stay and how to get around quick. I have a sister living here but obviously she isn't an option considering I just ran away from home. But first things first, I have to get to Anaheim then sort it all out there. I get on the public buses then start constructing a ideal plan on how things will be going when I get to Anaheim. Because if I go around hopping from hotel to hotel, I bore through the money that I have and be homeless by the end of next month. Although its hard leaving in this kind of situation, I am absolutely relieved that I'd be able to travel to Vid Con all by myself without anyone weighing me down or holding me back.

(A/N: hey guys, I'm so sorry if I don't do the Markiplier events in chronological order, and sorry if the upload dates on the videos I'm going to mention is random, I'm just gonna reference a few of my favorite videos here. Thanks so much for reading!)


	2. Lucky

~Time Skip (At the Anaheim Convention Center, Vid Con)~

Author's P.O.V

Grace happily leaped off the bus and took a look around. There was certainly a pretty big amount of people and there was still time before Mark's panel. Mark who? Mark Edward Fishbach or more commonly known as Markiplier. Grace had been following him since he first started out back in 2012. It has been her dream to finally meet him and spend time with him here at Vid Con. It crushed her heart that she wan't able to go to his tour. But now he's finally here and she could hardly contain her excitement. However, being a girl who was raised being incredibly sheltered had it's downfalls. She had no idea where to go or where to start, so she just started walking around hoping to see some kind of sign that can maybe point to where she has to go.

Grace was able to walk around and meet some of her other favorite youtubers but unfortunately, still no sign of Markiplier's panel booth. She took a break for a while and stepped out of the convention center, she was never really that good at crowds anyway. There were no more people outside, but then she suddenly heard someone calling out for help. She followed the voice to find that it was actually coming from the back stage door, someone was on the parking lot floor clutching at his knee.

"Someone please help!" he cried out in pain. She knew it was a restricted area but she just couldn't leave someone in pain like that, after all, she was a medical personnel. She quickly jumped over the iron barriers and made her way to him.

"What happened?! What's wrong?" She asked as she took a quick scan of his body to check for external injuries.

"It's.. It's my knee...! It hurts!" he said with a pained grunt. She quickly took action and examined his knee. She rolled up his cargo pants and applied pressure to a few parts. She used Lachrymose to elevate his knee and she messed up her bag, looking for her knee support brace.

"Are you a doctor?" he asked her.

"Well, sort of. Do you mind?" she asked while gesturing to his shoes.

"Go ahead." He said, she took off his shoe then slipped on her knee support brace slowly to minimize the discomfort.

"How did you come so prepared?" he asked in amazement.

"I have leg length discrepancy so I use this from time to time to ease the pain." she said, adjusting it so that it would be more comfortable for him to walk in. She got some muscle relaxing ointment and rubbed it on his knee, giving him a cool relief.

"I'm Grace by the way." She said as she began fixing her stuff. She helped him stand up and take a seat at his car.

"Thanks, I'm-"

"Tyler Scheid. I know, I've seen you in Mark's videos." She said with a smile as she picked up Lachrymose and her backpack. He smiled and nodded.

"I take it you're here to see Mark then?" he asked.

"Tyler where have you been?! The panel's about to start in 15 minutes!" said our favorite blue boy as he approached Tyler's car.

"Sorry, something got jacked up in my knee, I just needed to rest a little." he said.

"Oh, alright, I'll shoot Mark a text then I'll help you get to back stage. Who's this?" Ethan asked him.

"This is Grace, she patched up my knee. Grace, I'm pretty sure you know who this is." he said.

"Yes of course! You're Ethan! It's such a pleasure to meet you!" Grace said as she held out her hand for him to shake. They shook hands and exchanged pleasant smiles.

"So glad to meet you too, Grace but Tyler and I really should get going now-"

"No, Grace is on her way to meet Mark at the panel. Why don't we take her in with us? After all, I can't just take this from you, you need it." Tyler cut Ethan off.

"Oh well if you could just point me to the general entrance I'll be just fine. And I can by that at any pharmacy, it already such a pleasure to be meeting you two already! I don't want to cause you guys any more trouble." She said happily.

"No please. I insist. We can take you back stage as my guest. Then by the end of the day, I'll return this to you." Tyler was persistent. Of course Grace was still a fan girl and who in their right mind would turn down a chance to me the whole Teamiplier personally. So she accepted modestly. Tyler put an arm around Ethan and they started to walk, but Ethan was much smaller than Tyler so it was kind of unbalanced. Grace supported Tyler on the other side and they all walked back stage.

They were able to make it on time for the panel and Tyler left Grace to the company of Katheryn and Amy. So of course, being the nerdy fan girl that Grace was, they talked it up and quickly became friends because of their similar interests. After the panel, Amy and Katheryn invited Grace with them for dinner and they all bonded and talked, then it was time to go home.

"Grace, how are you gonna go home? Which hotel are you staying in?" Amy asked her.

"Oh, I actually live around the LA area." Grace lied. She didn't live anywhere, she had nowhere to go.

"Oh then you can ride with me, after all, your stuff is in my car anyway."Tyler said. Grace blushed. She had no reason to refuse. So she and Tyler made their way to his car and they began the trip back to LA.


	3. Wanna Go

Author's P.O.V

The ride back to LA was a silent one. And very awkward, well, for Grace it was because on the outside, she was cool but deep down, different types of fan girly fantasies were exploding from the back of her mind. She always had that trouble with guys where she couldn't tell what guys are thinking because they always had that blank face and you could never tell how they truly felt in a situation. Tyler didn't particularly like the awkward silence between them either so he decided to break the ice.

"I hope you had fun today." he said, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Yeah, shit dude, fun doesn't even begin to cover it!." she said happily.

"That's good. Since you just live in LA, maybe you could stop by and hang out with us. How does that sound?" He smiled. But it got even more awkward when he didn't get a reply. He took a quick glance at her to find that she apparently has already fallen fast asleep. You have to remember that she went straight to Anaheim right after she landed at the airport and had a fun filled day with a lot of walking around and talking. She drained her energy right away and couldn't help letting her eye lids shut. Tyler couldn't help but smile at her defenselessness.

"That's right. Rest up." He said as he continued on to LA.

~Time Skip to Tyler's house the next day (afternoon)~

Hm... What's that smell? *sniff* *sniff* is that the smell of... Chicken? and what else... Dumplings? That's a strange thing to wake up to. She snuggled up on whatever she was lying down on and used the cover that she had to cover her more. But wait... That's strange. Did she fall asleep on a couch? Did she bring a blanket with her? NO SHE DID NOT! Grace sat up quickly and scanned her surroundings hoping she was not kidnapped or something

"Oh are you up? I got some food over from Mark's place. You must be hungry. It's already lunch time and you slept in." Tyler said. Grace turned around to see him bringing over a plate of Chicken and Dumplings on the living room coffee table. Grace widened her eyes then quickly stood up and grabbed her stuff.

"Woah, where are you going?" he asked her.

"I've overstayed my welcome! I'm so sorry to have caused you so much trouble. I'll be on my way now." she said, about to rush out the door but he grabbed her arm before she could.

"It's fine! What are you thinking! You're no trouble at all." He said.

"But you were driving last night and I fell asleep... Then you carried me from the car to your home." she said, embarrassed.

"It's alright, no problem at all. It's the least I can do for what you did for me back at the parking lot." he said, grabbing her shoulders and making her sit down.

"Oh that was nothing, really. I've loved you since I saw you at Mark's channel." she said. He looked at her wide eyed. Did she really just profess her love for him just now? It took a second for Grace to process what she just said.

"Oh I mean in a fan girl love kind of thing, I didn't mean like love love." she explained herself.

"Oh that makes a lot more sense." he laughed. "Do you have a boyfriend somewhere?" he asked her. Tyler's phone buzzed and he took a glance but didn't reply to it.

"I had one back at home. His name is David." she said as she took a bite of the dumplings.

"Right, you came from the Philippines right? I never got around to asking but why'd you leave?" he asked her, also taking a bite of his food.

"Um... That's a story I'd rather save for another time." she pushed the topic aside politely.

"Oh yeah, of course. Sorry, it's none of my business. But remember that you can talk to me if ever you need it." He said.

"Yeah, of course. Thank you so much Tyler. It really mean a lot to me." she said with a smile and a blush considering that her youtube crush is right in front of her sharing Chicken and Dumplings.

"Alright so, I can't stay long. I'm headed back to the office because we're shooting a video series for Mark tomorrow at a certain venue." He said. (A/N: Office meaning Mark's recording studio ^_^)

"Oh, I'll be on my way then, thanks so much for accommodating me. I'll just be on my way-"

"No, I was gonna ask you if you wanted to come with us. It's just one final meeting before we leave tomorrow. Because I can't leave you here alone." He said. (A/N: They're leaving to film the Who Killed Markiplier series just before the October You're Welcome tour ^_^)

"Oh my gosh. I'll be honest, I would absolutely LOVE to see you guys film a new video. But I simply can't I've imposed too much on your kindness." she tried to contain her fangirliness as much as she can but going to a Markiplier shoot but she had to admit, they were of course still strangers and it seemed kind of awkward to just go with them.

"Amy just texted me actually and asked me to tell you to come with us. But do you have somewhere else to be? Maybe I can drop you off somewhere before I leave for the office." he asked, cleaning up the plates that we ate on.

"Um... Not really..." she pondered on the things that she needs to do so that she could, you know, live life and survive as a human being haha. But SERIOUSLY, who would pass up a diamond opportunity like this? And aside from that, she really had no reason to turn him down either. After all, he is Mark's manager so maybe he can figure out a way to bring in one more.

"That's great! Then you should come with us. It'll be a lot of fun. After all, we might be needing a medic some time during the shoot. Deal?" he said playfully. She smiled and tried to keep her cool on the outside but yet again, she was exploding on the inside.

"You got yourself a deal, Mr. Scheid." she said teasingly as she held out her hand for him to shake. He smiled and gave her hand a firm shake.


	4. No, Just No

Author's P.O.V

"Alright, I guess that concludes today's meeting. Please don't forget the things we discussed today and make sure that we don't forget the costumes." Mark said. Tyler cleared his throat causing Mark to look at him. Then Tyler gestured to Grace who was sitting next to him.

"Oh yeah! This is Grace, she's the new addition to our team. We met her at a convention." Mark said as he gestured to Grace. She stood up and showed a little wave. They ran through one last check with the things that they need for tomorrow. Grace really couldn't contain her excitement.

"I can't believe I'm getting direct info on a Markiplier series that's not even released yet..." Grace mumbled to herself as she put her hands on her cheeks, attempting to cool down the blood rushing to her face.

"This is just the beginning." Tyler said with a smile.

"Hey Grace wanna come with me to the store? I just need to pick up some stuff." Amy walked up to Grace. But she turned to look at Tyler as if asking for permission for her to go with Amy. He smiled and chuckled to himself.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Mark and I are just going to run through the script a few more times. And Grace, do you mind picking up some stuff for me at the store as well?" he said as he handed her a post it.

"Yes of course!" Grace said happily.

"Alright, be safe you two." he said as he wave good by to them both.

"We will!" Amy said as she grabbed Grace by the arm and made their way out the door.

The two of them got into Amy's car and they made their way to the nearest Ralph's. After Amy parked the car, they both went down and went inside. They had fun talking more about the other things they wanted to talk about before they were separated at the convention. they mostly talked about how Amy was incredibly lucky to have such amazing friends and Mark as her boyfriend. Amy had this way of talking to her that almost made her talk about her running away from home. But I guess she caught on since she traveled so light. Tyler must have told her that he met Grace carrying only a backpack, a sling bag and a stuffed dog. after they got everything that they need, Amy invited her for some ice cream.

"So, how much longer are you planning on hiding whatever you're hiding?" Amy asked her, not suspiciously but the way a concerned friend would ask if they knew that something was bugging you.

"Wh-what? What are you talking about? I've told you everything you wanted to know." Grace said defensively. Amy raised her eyebrow making a quizzical expression.

"C'mon, Grace let's not fool ourselves now. You don't have to keep that up you know." Amy said as she took a bite of her ice cream and leaning back on her seat. Grace took a deep breath in and let it out.

"This is a strangely deep conversation to be having over ice cream." Grace said with a laugh, trying to lighten up the atmosphere and trying one last attempt to diverge from the topic. Amy didn't say anything she just raised her eyebrows.

~Meanwhile; back to Tyler and Mark~

"So Grace, Mick, Robert and Pam and the other costumes can go to your car, and the rest can go to Amy's car." Mark said, going through one last scan through their check list.

"Alright. Sound good." Tyler said.

"Hey how did you convince Grace to come with us anyway, Amy seemed pretty down at the thought that Grace might not come with us." Mark asked him.

"Well she didn't say that she had somewhere else to be, and since she's the one who helped me with my knee, maybe she can be our on set medic in case some one gets hurt. Just in case. you know?" he said.

"That's a good idea. Alright, I'll leave you two to it. And remember, no you know what while we're there." Mark said teasingly.

"What, not even dude. What is wrong with you?" Tyler said defensively.

"Hey you guys have to share a room since it was so sudden that she's coming with us. You might not be able to control your mighty girth." Mark said, trying so hard to contain his laughter but failed and burst out laughing anyway.

"Dude, no. She's a fan." Tyler said.

"Fan or not, she's still a normal person who we can befriend, and some who you can develop feelings for." Mark nudged Tyler with his elbow and raised his eyebrows.

"Not gonna happen." Tyler stood his ground.

~Meanwhile; Back to Amy and Grace~

"Woah. That's tough. So aside from us, you have no one else?" Amy asked, with her hand on Grace's shoulder. Grace tried her best to act tough and choke back her tears but it was too agonizingly painful to remember. Amy stood up and sat beside her, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her close.

"You don't have to worry about anything else anymore. We're here for you. We'll be you family now. I'm sure Mark and the other will understand if you talk to them about-"

"No, please don't tell them anything! I don't want them to know..." Grace clutched at Amy's sleeve.

"But Grace..." Amy continued.

"Please, please, please... Don't tell them." Grace pleaded as she sobbed into Amy's embrace. Amy took a deep breath in and let it out. She placed her hand gently on Grace's head and comforted her.

"Alright. I won't tell them." she said.


	5. Smile

Author's P.O.V

"Oh, well, you guys are back late." said Mark as he walked up to Amy and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Yeah, we had some fun at the ice cream parlor." Amy said with a smile.

"Alright, Grace and I really should get going. You are able to get the stuff that was on the post it, right?" Tyler asked Grace as he made his way down the stairs.

"Yep, it's all here." she said, showing him the grocery bag that she had in her hands. He smiled then nodded, taking the grocery bag from her hand and opening the door for her.

"Alright. Oh and Tyler, don't forget about what we talked about today." Mark said with a half smile. Tyler knew that he was implying their talk about him developing feelings for Grace, but Amy and Grace thought that they were talking about the check list of things for the shoot tomorrow. Tyler rolled his eyes and sighed through his nose.

"I won't." he said. They both made their way out the door. Amy grabbed Tyler's arm and turned him towards her.

"Treat her, right. Okay, Tyler?" Amy said, not angrily or teasingly. She just said it to say it. Tyler was a little weirded out. Grace was careful not to react too obviously to that Tyler or Mark wouldn't ask questions later.

"Okay...?" Tyler said, confused. Amy let go of him then they got in his car and went back to Tyler's house.

Once they got back home, Grace put down her little sling bag and stretched out. Tyler carried the grocery bag that they had and put it in the kitchen.

"I hope pasta is alright with you." Tyler said as he put on an apron and began sorting through the bag of groceries.

"Oh yeah of course! Please, let me help." Grace said, putting her hair in a messy bun.

"Oh, I could use help chopping up the vegetables. Thanks." he smiled at her and gave her the knife. She gladly took the knife from him and put it down on the chopping board. She grabbed the vegetables and brought them to the sink for a light rinse.

"You know, it's my first time cooking with someone ever since I moved out of Cincinnati." He said as he started the fire on the stove.

"Really?" She asked rhetorically with a polite smile. "I usually cook for myself back at home but no fancy things. I never had the right ingredients." Grace said as she began cutting the vegetables.

"It must be fun living with your family. Everyday I miss my parents a lot. I used to cook with her a lot." he continued.

"Oh, I don't hang out with my family a lot. I spent a lot of my time usually at home alone." Grace didn't think before saying that, and she mentally face palmed herself because of it.

"Oh. Do you not want to talk about that either?" He asked with a small smile, hoping that she would actually open up about it. She frickin' MELTED at the sight of his smile but she held her ground and just politely shook her head. She was still distracted by his smile causing her to accidentally cut her finger.

"Ouch! Frick..." she exclaimed as she quickly withdrew her finger and clutched her wounded hand. Tyler was surprised but reacted quickly and ran to his room to grab his first aid kit. He put the box on the counter behind her and took out a cotton swab and moistened it with some Betadine. He held her hand gently and started cleaning her cut with the Betadine. After which he grabbed a band aid and put it on her cut. She laughed at the sight of it and he blushed in embarrassment.

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?" She asked while trying to hold back her laughter.

"The pharmacy didn't have those normal ones, okay?" He said defensively but also laughing at the silliness.

"It's alright. I'm a fan too." She said as she playfully flaunted off her band aid. Then she turned her head to look at him and she noticed that he was still looking at her with a small smile. She felt the heat rush to her cheeks, embarrassing her even further. He didn't notice either that he was actually starring at her; he snapped out of his daze and looked at her cut, showing no sign of backing away from her.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked her, taking a step closer to her. She tried to back away but the counter behind her prevented her from doing so.

"It still kinda stings..." She mumbled with a heavy breath. He slightly tightened his grip on her hand and brought it to his face. He brushed the cut against his soft lips and she couldn't help but watch the lovely scene play out. He cherished every single second and made sure to do it slowly. Grace was speechless and really didn't know how to react to that. After giving her that utterly soft kiss on her cut, he avoided eye contact and stepped away from her. Floofing his hair from embarrassment and then going back to cooking.

"Sorry, it's just that my mom used to do that to me and my brother when we were kids." he said, starting to make the sauce of the pasta.

"Yeah, that's okay." She replied as she went back to chopping the vegetables. The didn't say much to each other while they ate because they were both pretty much just trying to avoid eye contact and so, they were just about to head to bed leaving an awkward tension between them.

"Wait Grace. Please, sleep in my bed tonight. I feel bad making you sleep on my couch especially since you're a lady." he said, still floofing his hair in awkwardness.

"Oh, no, no I'm fine on the-"

"I insist, Grace. You're hurting my pride as a man." He said, persistently yet gently. Grace laughed a little but ended up giving in.

"Good night, Tyler." She said with a small smile before going into his room. He hadn't hear someone say that to him in quite a while so he was a little speechless but in a good way.

"Good night, Grace." he replied, as he fixed up the couch.


	6. Silent

Author's P.O.V

"Tyler...?"

He groaned in response.

"Tyler."

He furrowed his eyebrows and turned his back on whoever was calling to him.

"It's time to wake up, Tyler. We're gonna be late." she said yet again.

"Five more minutes..." He grumbled.

"I've already let you sleep in for fifteen minutes. You need to get up now, Tyler." she said. It took as second for him to groggily process what she just said.

"Wait, did my alarm go off already? What time is it?" He asked, a little more alert now but still not standing up right away.

"It's currently 6:15. I shut it off four you and let you sleep in for a while. And I heated up the left over pasta for breakfast." She said, taking a seat on the stool and already beginning to eat. He shot up and ran to his room and grabbed some clothes and went straight to he bathroom. Grace laughed to herself at the sight and continued eating. After getting ready in 10 minutes flat, Tyler sat with Grace and ate with her quickly. At this point, they were both in a hurry because they were starting to run behind schedule, so they grabbed all the stuff that they need like their stuff and some food and snacks before jumping into the car and driving over to the office. But Grace found it kind of strange that Tyler was avoiding eye contact with her more than last night. And she didn't know if he was mad about something that she did or about the ting that happened last night. Bottom line, it was awkward to sit with him in the front seat.

They made it on time at the office and they immediately began their road trip after that. Grace introduced herself to the people who were in Tyler's car and luckily, it took her mind off of the awkward tension between her and Tyler. But it didn't last long because of course a road trip wouldn't be complete without the 2 hour long naps. The inside of the car went quiet and it was Grace and Tyler left awake... well, half awake. Tyler was having a slightly hard time focusing because his eye lids were already half way down. he wanted to play some loud music but he doesn't want to disturb the people in the back who were asleep. His eye lids were getting heavier and heavier by the second and they were still a little far from the first stop over.

"Tyler? Are you alright?" Grace asked him, giving him a light tap on the shoulder. Tyler was momentarily woken up but instantly felt the sleepiness again right after.

"Yeah." he said bluntly, then his eye lids went back to drooping again.

"Do you want to switch out at the next stop over?" she asked him, concerned.

"No, I'm fine." he said, straightening up then putting his focus back to driving. he held out fine for a few minutes but again, his eye lids were still getting heavier and heavier as time passes by. Because of his sleepiness, he failed to notice that the car had already begun swerving a bit. He was awoken yet again by the angry honking from the car behind him. He really didn't want to switch out with Grace but he knew that their safety is much more important than his pride. He took out his phone, unlocked it and handed it to Grace.

"Alright, but do you mind if you text Mark that we're stopping over for a bit so we can switch?" he said.

"Yeah of course." she said then shot Mark a quick text as Tyler turned on his blinker and pulled over. They switched real quick and then resumed their road trip. Tyler was leaning on the door, staring at Grace. She knew and she could feel him staring at her but just pretended not to notice.

"Why do you seem so sleepy? Didn't we fall asleep at the same time last night?" She asked, breaking the silence between them.

"I had a little trouble sleeping last night, but you don't have to worry about it." He said, letting his heavy eye lids close.

"Well, you've got to take care of those bags under your eyes. You have to look your best at the shooting later." She said, but she didn't get a response. When she glanced over at him, she saw that he had already fallen asleep. She just smiled and enjoyed the cute sight as she drove on.

~Time Skip (At the place where they filmed Who Killed Markiplier)~

They arrived at the set at around noon. The men went to get ready for the shoot and the ladies began to get the food ready right before they started shooting. They already began changing costumes and Pam started doing make up for the guys. Grace brought out the cooler on the table and checked on the drinks for the actors. Grace was able to get her hands on the script and run through it real quick so that she'll be able to help a bit more. Amy stayed close to Grace and got Kathryn to interact more with her as well. All was well and they were able to get everything ready and start shooting.


	7. Healing Wounds

~Time Skip (They have just finished filming Who Killed Markiplier)~

Author's P.O.V

Everyone was exhausted and really sleepy after shooting for 6 days in a row. They all had that euphoria of having completed as major project, but that didn't mean that their work was over. They still had to do a lot of the editing and they had to start getting ready for the October tour. Grace had tons of fun helping them make this series and it was a really good chance for her to have fun and get to know them more as friends and not just from a fan point of view. She began learning about how they acted off camera and their little quirks and gestures, how they really interact with each other when they're away from the prying eyes of fans and harsh judgements. To her surprise, Mark and Amy are way more lovey dovey than she expected, Ethan and Kathryn are the best of friends and love to spend a lot of time with each other and little by little, she's able to break out of her shell and show her true self.

They were already on the highway on the way home and it was still the same seating arrangements and Grace was soundly asleep beside Tyler, but this time, Tyler made sure that he got a good night's rest. But the night was still young! Mark wanted to celebrate and that's where the group broke into two, boys and girls. The boys when out to grab a drink and the girls went back to Amy's place to talk and hang out.

~At Amy's place~

"I'm sorry guys but we only have white wine here." Amy said as she brought out two bottles of white wine from her fridge. The four of them, Amy, Kathryn, Pamela and Grace made themselves comfortable and started chatting it up.

"Yeah, those paintings were so funny." Amy said as she laughed as they all remembered the strange paintings that hung on the walls of the house.

"Yeah, and that strange little statue in the kitchen!" Kathryn exclaimed softly. They all burst out laughing as they talked about how the little statue looked so much like Robert (the Chef, in case you guys didn't know) especially when they put the wig on them.

"Mark really outdid himself with this series. I never expected for him to make something like this. His fans would be INCREDIBLY happy." Grace said as she took a sip from her wine. Amy's cheeks flushed a little from her comment and they all raised their glass to Amy with a big smile.

"Speaking of..." Amy said teasingly, sitting on the floor and bringing their circle closer.

"Are you gonna start living with Tyler?" she continued, nudging her elbow at Grace. Pam and Kathryn's eyes widened and instinctively also sat down on the floor beside Grace and Amy. To be honest, Grace widened her eyes too at Amy's sudden statement.

"What?! What are you talking about? Amy?! What even." Grace said, bringing her knees to her chest, kind of like a slightly defensive mechanism of hers.

"Hey you said that you needed a place to stay! Kathryn and I are gonna sell this place off and I'm gonna go live with Mark so where are you supposed to go?!" Amy said.

"I'm gonna have to buy my own apartment. I can't impose on you guys' or Tyler's kindness any longer." Grace said.

"And where are you gonna get the money for it? LA real estate is quite expensive." Amy persisted. She knew that Grace didn't have the funds to actually stay in LA, but Kathryn and Pam didn't know what Amy knows.

"What? How'd you get to LA then? I thought you came from the Philippines?" Pam asked her. Grace rolled her eyes and looked at Amy. She nodded at her encouragingly. Grace shook her head in defeat as tears started to form in her eyes. She brought her hand to her eyes to hide her tears from them. From the corner of her eye, she could see the color blue that came from her band aid that Tyler had given her (no, she did not keep the band aid that had had on for six days silly hahaha, she had to change the band aid every day because it was still an open cut and had to be protected but since Tyler didn't have normal ones, those are all she had). Somehow, she was somewhat comforted by it. Pam and Kathryn were definitely shocked and immediately put their hands on her back comfortingly.

"I ran away from home... And I used my savings to go here to LA, but I seriously didn't think it through." She said, trying to steady her shaky voice.

"I have a broken family and I can't turn to them for help anymore. I have a sister here in LA but I'm 100% sure that she's just call up my parents and send me straight back to that hell hole." she continued on.

"Oh my gosh! Then you can totally stay with Tyler, what's wrong with you?! Stay as long as you like, Tyler always hated living alone anyway." Pam said with a loving smile, trying to make her laugh.

"Oh man, if you hadn't found Tyler, where would you be?" Kathryn said softly. Amy stood up and sat back down in front of Grace and wrapped her hands around Grace's.

"You don't have to live a life of hiding anymore, you can have a new life now. Here. With us." she said then gave her a warm hug. Kathryn and Pam also wrapped their arm around her and gave her all the love that she needed. Now she was crying twice as hard, but not because of sadness, but because of all the love that she's receiving without doing anything for it, unlike before when she still lived with her parents.

"If you're really not up to it, we can talk to Tyler for you." Pam said.

"Yeah, Tyler is SUPER nice. There's no way he'll say no." Kathryn supported her.

~Meanwhile (at the boy's hang out)~

"No." he said.

"C'mon dude! Why be so stingy?!" Mick said, obviously drunk.

"Yeah, c'mon. Help the little lady out." Robert supported them.

"THE **Apocalypto_12** , SCARED?!" Ethan taunted him, also drunk.

"Dude, I'm not scared. She just can't stay in my house anymore." Tyler insisted as he took a drink.

"Dude, I heard from Amy that she's got no where to go. Just let her stay for a few more weeks, man. Just until she can get back on her feet." Mark also persisted.

"Then why don't you let her stay with you, then?! You've got lots of room at your house." Tyler said defensively.

"No bro, she'll just be uncomfortable. And please, you know how busy I am that I hardly have time to spend with Amy alone anymore." Mark said.

"Why don't you want her to stay at your place anymore anyway? Is there a problem?" Ethan said.

"Yes, it's a problem!" He said impatiently.

"WHAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH THAT?!" Mark and Ethan exclaimed in unison. Tyler rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"If she stays any longer, I'm gonna fall for her." he mumbled right before taking another sip from his drink.


	8. Courage

Author's P.O.V

"Again!" Mark said a bit frustrated. The four of them groaned quietly to themselves. Tyler ran his palm through his hair in frustration because he knew that he was the one who can't think straight and come up with anything funny. He lied down on the ground in defeat, using his palms to cover his face. Mark sighed.

"Alright, take five." he said gesturing for the rest of them to step out of the room. Mark walked over to where Tyler was laying and crouched.

"You know man, I know you're scared about the surgery and having some problems about personal stuff but please get your shit together before the start of the tour. We have less than 3 weeks left." he said.

"I know, I'm sorry." he said, ruffling his hair in frustration.

"You don't have to deal with this by yourself, bro. We're all here for you if you need us." Mark said. He stood up then left Tyler alone with his thoughts. Tyler let his arms fall limp beside him as he stared at the ceiling with a head full of thoughts. But a few minutes later, Grace knocked softly on the door. Tyler didn't bother looking to see who it was, he just continued to stare at the ceiling. Grace walked over to him then laid beside him, ear to ear.

"Are you doing alright?" She asked him softly. Tyler shook his head, assuming that the silence said enough.

"Tell me what's wrong Tyler." She said.

"I'm scared." he whispered, his mind was so boggled and he couldn't understand why he had so many of these conflicting feelings.

"What are you afraid of?" She asked him.

"Screwing up... Having the knee surgery... disappointing Mark and the gang... I'm just so frustrated..." he mumbled.

"Courage is not the absence of fear, rather it is the judgement that something else is more important than fear." She said with a soothing voice as she turned her head towards him. He looked back at her and they both just acknowledged each other's presence. She sat up then stood beside him.

"Get up." She said.

"What? Why?" He asked.

"I'm gonna take you out, c'mon." She said.

"I can't we're in the middle of rehearsals." Tyler said. She just rolled her eyes then offered him a hand. He grabber her hand and helped him up, but didn't let go of his hand. They walked out of Dan's house (the guy playing the keyboard on the You're Welcome tour). Then got in Tyler's car with Grace in the driver's seat.

"Where are you taking me? Mark's gonna be pissed." He said. She didn't respond, she just looked at him then flashed him a reassuring smile as she started the car and drove out of the drive way.

"What are we doing here, Grace? We have to go back." He said.

"C'mon, just go with it." She said as she opened the door.

"I don't have time to waste, Grace. I'm going back to Dan's house." He said. But she grabbed his arm and pouted at him angrily before he got the chance to do anything. They stared each other in the eyes, both not showing any signs of backing down. But Tyler was just too spent to do or think of anything so he just gave in and let her win. She clapped her hands excitedly in celebration as they both got off the car and into the movie house.

"I got tickets to the new Thor movie if that's alright with you." she said.

"Sure." he replied bluntly. They got some snacks and drinks and went into the theater. They sat down but Tyler really just couldn't stop his brain from running and causing him to still be frustrated. Grace sighed then gently pinched the skin in between his eyebrows.

"Hey! What's the big idea-"

"Your brows are furrowed! Just relax and have fun, okay?" she said. He sighed and slumped back against his chair, exhausted. Grace put her arm on the arm rest with her palm flat upwards, she looked at him and smiled. He looked at her hand and pondered whether or not he should hold her hand or not, but he took her offer and rested his hand on hers. Right at that moment, the lights went out and a the trailers were just about finishing up. Tyler felt his face heat up as he gently clutched at Grace's hand and he could hardly focus on the movie, but he had to admit that it certainly got his mind off of his fears. He still definitely enjoyed the movie though and the two of them laughed at Chris Hemsworth's silliness and amazing way of turning a heroic scene into a silly one.

They had a fun and despite Tyler's unwillingness about this outing before they went on this date, Grace actually managed to get Tyler to have some fun and made him come out of the theater laughing. They continued to laugh together and talk about the movie and compare it to the previous movies that Marvel released (if you haven't watched it, WATCH IT NOW hahaha).

"You hungry?" she asked.

"Nah, I'm fine." he said, but just as he said that, they both heard his stomach grumble (YES I KNOW, typical romance cliche lol plz forgive me hahaha don't judge me).

"You are one bad liar." she said as she nudged him on his arm.


	9. Stay

Author's P.O.V

"Today was fun." Tyler smiled to himself as they finished their meal. Grace's eyes twinkled with happiness as soon as she heard those words come out from his mouth.

"That's good. Glad you had fun." she said as she slumped back into her chair. Tyler raised his hand in front of him to give her a high five and she happily gave him one.

"Aw, man. I really missed going on dates like these." Grace thought to herself out loud as she stared off into the distance. Tyler felt his heart rate spike as soon as he heard the word 'date'.

"My best friend, Krystal, would sneak me out of the house whenever I was feeling down and she would just take me to the theater and we would watch anything that was on." Grace happily reminisced that memory.

"Sneak out? What were you guys, like, fugitives?" he joked as he took a sip of his Mountain Dew. Grace had forgotten that she still hadn't talk to him about her family. She tried to play it off cool and grabbed her iced coffee.

"Maybe." she said playfully before taking a sip from her iced coffee.

"Aw, c'mon. Do your parents, like, not allow you to hang out with your friends?" he persisted.

"Dude, we went on this date so I could cheer you up, okay? This is all about you." she said, suddenly her eye sight got blurrier and Tyler had a shocked expression. Small trickles of wet warmth ran down her cheeks and she used her hand to cover her face from shock. Grace face palmed herself and slumped back into her chair in embarrassment.

"Oh my gosh this is embarrassing. I am so sorry just give me a minute..." She said, trying desperately to wipe away the tears that just kept coming from her eyes. Tyler stood up and moved their chairs so that they were directly in front of each other. He grabbed her wrists and tilted her chin up so that she was looking at him. He brought his hand to her face and wiped away her tears.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I'm supposed to be cheering you up and-"

"No, Grace. It's fine. You don't have to be happy if you're really not." he said, with a tiny smile. The fact that it was not her best friend, Krystal cheering her up made her uncomfortable and caused her to cry even more, but Tyler didn't stop drying her tears and trying to cheer her up.

"I know so little about you. I don't know whether that smile of yours is just a defense mechanism. And yet here you are, trying to cheer me up even when you're not okay on the inside." he said. Then, he suddenly came up with this crazy idea and stood up.

"Come with me." he said, offering her a hand.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm gonna take you somewhere special." he said, offering a hand to her.

"Copy cat..." she mumbled. He laughed and she placed her hand in his and they both made their way out of the restaurant.

Tyler didn't think though his idea 100%. He brought her back to his house and brought out a ladder and put it on the side of his house. Grace was utterly confused.

"You're not gonna push me off, are you?" Grace asked him, half joking. He laughed then shook his head. He helped her up half way then climbed back down the ladder.

"Wait, where are you going? You're not leaving me here, are you?!" she panicked.

"No, just let me get something real quick!" he said as he ran back inside the house. It was already probably around 9:30 at night and is it a bad time to mention that she was scared of the dark? LOL. Little did she know that it was actually worth the wait. Tyler came back with a basket that had a picnic cloth, a bottle of wine, two glasses, a tall candle and a bowl of strawberries. Grace gasped.

"How did you know I love strawberries?!" Grace was shocked.

"Amy called me earlier." he said as he set everything up.

"Why here on the roof though?" she asked.

He smirked. "Look up."

She looked up and saw the sky with a quarter moon and so many stars, she never knew that she could get a view like that in LA. She just stared up in awe while Tyler poured them both a drink.

"It's a little cloudy but at least we can see the moon and a few stars." he said.

"What's this all for?" she asked as he handed her the glass.

"Nothing. We're just gonna talk, we have as long as we want. We can talk about you or we can talk about me, whatever you want." he said, taking a sip.

It was a little awkward at first but they eventually got to talking about how it was funny how they first met or what their flaws were towards themselves and how it effects those around them. They would goof around too like they tried to shoot the strawberries in each other's mouth and laugh at the other if they weren't able to shoot it in. They talked about how fear makes you do things that can make you regret, but it can also be the one that saves you in the end.

"Can I ask you a favor?" he said.

"Sure, what is it?" she asked.

"Please don't leave." he said as he rested his forehead against her shoulder.

"I won't, I plan on staying until after the tour" she said.

"No, I mean. Stay with us, here in LA. With me." he said.

"Tyler, I can't impose on-"

"You are not imposing. I'm not asking anymore, I'm telling you to stay. Please." he pleaded. They stare at each other intently. Tyler brought his shaky hand to her cheek and brushed the hair out of her face. He could feel her slow, hot breath on his lips and he just couldn't control himself anymore. She instinctively put her hand on his chest and gently clutched at his shirt. He brought her face closer to his and their lips touch ever so gently, it's as if they were both scared. Tyler's mind was clouded and Grace's heart was pounding. They both pulled away but stayed lip distance apart.

"Stay."


	10. Close

Author's P.O.V

There was less than two weeks left before the October You're Welcome tour and The Who Killed Markiplier series was coming along at a steady pace. Mark, Bob, Wade, Ethan and Tyler continued to practice and improve their improv performances. Ever since that night, Tyler has been doing incredibly well. His surgery was a success and they were all geared up to go on the tour. Tyler spent more time with the guys and they rehearsed non stop. The girls on the other hand continued to support them on the side and prepare for the trip as well. Oh, look at them now! They're all together in the office, editing the Who Killed Markiplier vids. (A/N: Spoilers ahead! If you haven't watched the Who Killed Markiplier series, stop reading and watch it now!)

"Damn, Mick is such a good actor." Kathryn said as she rewatch the video that she had been editing for the past 4 hours.

"Hey, can you send over the audio for Pam's final part." Grace said.

"Sure, I'm forwarding it over now." said Amy.

"So glad to see that everyone is busy." Mark said as he walked into the room with Wade, Bob, Ethan, Dan and Tyler behind him.

"Hey, how was rehearsals?" Amy asked Mark as he walked over and gave her a peck.

"Exhausting but extremely funny." he said as he sat down on the floor beside Amy.

"Are you guys ready for the tour?" Grace asked.

"Yeah, we're getting there." Mark replied. Ethan walked over to the couch that Grace was sitting on and took a seat beside her then leaned on her then got the laptop that she had and watched what she had been editing and adding a few more effects.

"Waahhhh, Ethan you're heavy!" Grace laughed as he squeezed her into the couch. They all widened their eyes then bursted out laughing.

"I'm heavy for once!" Ethan rejoiced and continued to lean on her.

"Hey, can you ask Kathryn if I did okay with the editing on that last whip transition where the Colonel jumps in the pool?" Grace said, secretly using that as an excuse for him to get off of her. He stood up and brought the laptop with him to show Kathryn Grace's work.

"How's it going, Grace?" Are you excited to go on tour with us?" Wade asked her as he took a seat on the stool beside the couch that she was sitting on. As Grace, Wade and Bob continued to talk more and get to know each other a little better, Tyler took a seat at the other end of the couch that she was sitting on and put up his legs.

"I get to meet Molly and Mandy?! OMG I'm so excited!" Grace said happily.

"How old are you by the way, Grace?" Bob asked her.

"I'm 22." she said.

"Oh you're one of the youngest. That's adorable." Bob said with a straight face.

"Who is the eldest anyway?" she asked.

"The great Apocalypo_12!" Ethan said as he did the jazz hands towards Tyler.

"Yeah, then me, Mark, Bob, Kathryn, Amy, you then Ethan."(I'm so sorry if I got the arrangement wrong, just message me or leave in the comments the correct arrangement then I'll change it ^_^) Wade explained.

"Our little blue boy." Tyler said with a laugh. The gang continued to chat and talk about the upcoming tour and they were all getting ready in their own ways. Grace was honestly overjoyed to be spending time with teamiplier and they even consider her as part of their family. However, she got news from Krystal that her original family has started looking for her and even placed a reward price on her return. Grace's nephew, Robin has also been asking Krystal about things and Grace plans on meeting up with him to explain some stuff. Grace has taken care of Robin since he was a baby and they have formed a deep bond together almost as if they were siblings. She got along better with him since they only had a 10 year age gap while her age gap with her two older sisters were 20 and 17 years. Her mind was preoccupied an she was worried since she was coming with them on the tour, it's no doubt that she will be included in the pictures and Robin will know about it because he is also a fan of Markiplier.

"Hey, you alright?" Tyler interrupted her thoughts with a gentle toe touch. She was brought back to reality, with everyone laughing and having fun. Tyler still looked at her with concern. She smiled at him then gave him a thumbs up.

The guys didn't stay long, they went back to rehearsals and the girls went back to editing. Grace had just finished editing the audio for the party scene, when she had noticed that she needed to refill the asthma medication that she had. No one knows that she has been sneaking out from time to time to buy medicine for her Alpha-1-antitrypsin, a genetic disease that she inherited form her dad. It's a genetic disease that prevent her longs from creating a certain protein that helps protect the lungs from disease, causing her to be more susceptible to pulmonary illnesses.

"Hey, I'll be right back. I just gotta pick up some snacks, anyone want anything?" She asked as she picked up her little sling bag.

"I could go for some iced coffee." Said Amy with a smile.

"I'll just have some Ruffles if that's alright." said Kathryn.

"Alrighty. I'll be back in a flash!" said grace with a smile as she walked out of the room and started walking to the nearby pharmacy.


	11. Breathe

Author's P.O.V

"What?"

"I'm so sorry, miss, but we can't give you these drugs without a prescription." said the lady pharmacist. "I would recommend you get the prescription for the doctor then come back here and I'll personally be the one to give you your medicine." she continued.

"Oh, alright. Thanks so much. I guess I'll just be getting these then." Grace said as she handed the iced coffee and ruffles. When she was about to reach for her wallet in her bag, she noticed that it wasn't there! She tried checking her other pockets to try and see if she had some money stuffed in her jeans at least but all she found was $10. She sighed then paid for the snacks then walked out the door. However, she stopped dead in her tracks to see that it just started pouring with little to no visibility.

 _'Damn, I thought this only happens in fanfiction...'_ she thought to herself (Yeah, I know it's fanfiction hahahaha). She grabbed one of the cheep umbrellas and was about to pay for it at the cashier but then she remembered that she already spent the $10 dollars that she had on the Ruffles and the iced coffee, and she didn't have enough for the umbrella. She sighed with helplessness, because she knew that if she walked in the rain, she was gonna murder her lungs, especially since she didn't have any more of her medicine.

What's there left to do?

"Why are you soaked?!"

She forced a laugh and showed them the plastic bag that she had in her hand. Amy took the plastic bag and dropped it onto the table. Kathryn ran to get a towel to help dry Grace off.

"Hey what happened to her?" Ethan said as he pointed to Grace.

"Uh, I went out to buy some snacks but I didn't notice that it was going to rain and I didn't have enough money to buy an umbrella. Ethan walked towards her, concerned, then placed a hand on her neck and forehead.

"Hey you're burning up. You should lie down." he said as he walked her towards the couch. Kathryn came back with the towel and dried off her hair and her clothes to gain back some more of the body heat that she's lost. She sneezed, causing her brain to hurt more. By this time, she was already starting to have a hard time to breathe and her chest felt heavy.

"Grace, what happened?" Tyler said, going down the stairs (They were in Dan's house just so you know).

"Got caught in the rain." she said then sneezed again right after.

"Do you have any spare clothes that she can change into for the meantime?" Amy asked.

"I have a hoodie she can borrow." said Ethan, as he grabbed it from his bag. Kathryn covered Amy and Grace as Amy helped her change out of her soaking wet sweater. Grace's whole world was spinning and couldn't completely open her eyes without causing her to be even more nauseous.

"I'm gonna take her home, and get her to bed." Tyler said as he walked over.

"Yeah. That's a good idea. Just be back here tomorrow early okay?" Mark said. Tyler nodded then helped Grace out the door and into his car, without getting her wet this time. He started the car and put the air conditioning to max heat to keep Grace warm, despite the fact that he was already sweating profusely. The moving car certainly didn't help with her current condition and the chest tightening and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. But eventually, they were able to get back home safely and Tyler carried Grace to his bed then grabbed some clothes from her back pack for her to change into. He left her to change then started cooking some good ol' fashion chicken noodle soup.

Grace was so dizzy from the lack of oxygen that goes to her brain and she couldn't even expand her lungs enough to force the air into her lungs and the fever that she had was definitely not helping. She started wheezing and panting heavily, which alarmed Tyler. Grace just kept struggling until she fell of the bed, and began shouting in agony. Tyler almost dropped the hot soup but was able to set it down on the counter with minimal spillage. he ran to his room to find Grace on the floor covered with his bed sheets from her fall. He quickly ran to her side.

"Grace! Grace! Tell me what's wrong!" he tried to shake her a bit to get her to look at him but she wasn't able to respond so she just clutched at his shirt desperately begging for help and began crying from the pain.

"Tell me what hurts! Tell me what to do please!" he was beginning to panic and his mind was so boggled that it was blanking out. She was crying from the pain and it wasn't long until she passes out. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kept crying, just accumulating carbon dioxide and running out of oxygen. She hugged his neck tight and was panicking as well. He instinctively picked her up and ran immediately to his car, almost tripping over and dropping her because his leg fell asleep. He fumbled with the key a bit because he was panicking so much, but he immediately started the car and drove to the emergency room as fast as possible.

Time Skip (In the Waiting Room)

"We've got her stabilized for now, we had to give her a pretty high dose of sedatives to calm her down and she's on 80% oxygen. We would like to keep her confined here overnight, she should be doing okay in the morning." said Grace's doctor.

"What? Does she have asthma or something?" Tyler asked.

"Oh, no dear. she has a genetic disease called Alpha-1-antitrypsin. This basically weakens the immune system specifically at her respiratory track. Looks like she hasn't been taking her proper medication lately. I'll be giving you a prescription so I suggest you buy her some as soon as possible." her doctor explained as she handed Tyler a piece of paper with the prescription.

"Thank you so much, doctor. Mind if I see her?" he asked.

"Oh I'm sorry. The visiting hours for the ICU are over. You can try coming back in the morning." she said.

"Right, I suppose it is getting late. Thanks anyway." he said.

"If you need anything else, feel free to go over to the nurse's station right down this hall." she said with a smile then walked away to her next patient. Tyler face palmed himself and slumped against the wall behind him, sliding down to the floor hopelessly. He made a long sigh of relief, trying to calm his pounding heart down.

"Just breathe."


	12. Promise

Author's P.O.V

"Sorry."

"Naw, it's alright, man. We'll be waiting for you here at Dan's house. For the meantime, I'm sending Amy over to watch over Grace so get your ass here as soon as possible." Mark said.

"Sure." He said.

"ONE-WORD TYLER~~~!" The gang sang out comically right before Tyler had a chance to hang up. He smiled then hung up the phone. He hadn't slept a wink last night and was having trouble keeping his eyes open. He walked over to the nearby vending machine and bought strong black coffee. He yawned then took as seat on the waiting room chair. His cup was slipping from his hand because of the sleepiness. He shook his head then took a big gulp of his coffee, slightly burning his tongue in the process. Amy tapped his shoulder and he thanked her then went on his way to Dan's house for the rehearsals.

Tyler was able to reach Dan's house on time and they began rehearsing right away. The caffeine worked it's magic and kept Tyler awake. However, the only thing on his mind was Grace and her well being. He continue to practice his improv with Wade and Bob using their Big Buddha exercise.

"Alright Teamiplier, huddle up." Mark said as he stood in the middle of the room.

"We have exactly 7 days left until we start the October tour. We're gonna start our road trip in 3 days to get to Louisville then use the remaining day for stage set ups and sound checks. So rest up, start packing and get all your shits together, okay?" Mark said. He nonchalantly flashed Tyler a quick glance and he got the signal immediately. They disbanded then they all headed home.

Amy had texted Tyler that grace already woke up and was ready to be discharged. Grace told her that it was okay and she didn't need someone to watch over her, Amy told Tyler that he should talk to her because she was really feeling down. He understood but told Amy that he just needed to stop by the house real quick to grab her a clean set of clothes for her to change into. He rummaged through her backpack, managing to grab a shirt and a pair of pants. But when he pulled on the pants, he didn't know that her other clothes were tangled in other clothes so the entirely of the contents of her bag was sprawled out on the floor. He was about to pick them up frantically but it took him two seconds to process what he was holding. IT WAS HER FRICKIN' UNDERWEAR! He was definitely shocked at the sight and backed away slowly. He was getting light headed from the blood rush that he had to his head. But he couldn't keep Grace waiting, so he just grabbed what he can and stuffed it back into her backpack and ran away from her backpack with a hoodie sweater and a pair of shorts (he just grabbed random pieces of clothing, you know how guys are lol). He fixed up what he needed then got in his car to head into the hospital.

"Thank you sir, your girlfriend is waiting in her room." the nurse flashed him a teasing smirk. He just rolled his eyes and followed the nurse to Grace's room. He saw that she had her back turned against the door, sitting on her bed with her head down. Boy, Amy wasn't joking when she said that Grace was seeming down.

"She's been like that since she woke up earlier this morning. You should do something to cheer her up." she said concerned, despite the teasing demeanor she had earlier. She closed the door behind her and gave the two of them some alone time. He carefully placed the clothes beside her then he took a seat on the chair that was diagonal from her. He gently used his hand to brush away the hair that was covering her face really well to find her eyes overflowing with tears. He was about to use his thumb to wipe away her tears but she avoided him then looked away in shame. Honestly speaking, he was pissed at how she was acting after all that he was doing for her. It's not that he wants her to repay him, he just wished that she would open up to him so that he can understand her better and be able to make her happy. He was starting to lose his temper little by little. He took a deep breath to calm himself down then stood up and took a seat beside her on the bed.

"I'm sorry..." she mumbled.

"Why won't you tell me anything?" he responded helplessly. She honestly didn't know how to respond to that, she just stayed quiet, waiting for him to say something else.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked. They looked each other in the eye and Tyler just couldn't resist that tearful look on her face. He sighed then showed her a tiny smile.

"No, I'm not mad at you." he said. He looked down at her hand and took it into his, then intertwined their fingers together.

"I just wish you would tell me all about you. I want to know." he said. Grace's heart couldn't stop beating so fast, making blood rush to her cheeks. Once again, she it was getting hard for her to breathe but not because of another attack but because of the lack of personal space in between the two of them.

"Do you promise?" he leaned in.

"I promise." she whispered right before he planted his lips on hers.


	13. Secrets

Author's P.O.V

"What?!"

"It doesn't mean anything... Does it?" Grace asked dumbfound.

"How do you call kissing and going on dates not dating?" Amy asked with a laugh.

"It's just not, okay? We haven't really gotten the chance to talk about it..." she mumbled to herself as she fiddled with her finger nails.

"Well based on what you've been talking about, it sounds a lot like you guys are dating." Kathryn sided with Amy on the topic and they both send her a teasing look.

"C'mon! You guys are already living together!" Amy cheered her on.

"I have no where else to go!" Grace exclaimed defensively.

"I'm betting $10 that they end up together!" Kathryn said with a laugh.

"Me too!" Amy said playfully.

"What even guys!" Grace said sarcastically turning their back on them. They laughed then continued to load up on the props that they need on the tour bus that they were going to stay on. Kathryn and Ethan continued to work on the Who Killed Markiplier series because they'll be posing it next week, while they're on tour. Amy, Grace, Molly and Mandy took charge of stocking up on snacks and drinks for the upcoming road trip and did last minute checks on the props that they need which go on the U-haul truck that'll be following them on the way to Louisville. Oh, and if you guys have been wondering how Grace has been able to sustain herself, since she's been helping out with a bit of editing and the event management with the tour, Mark has been paying her for all the help she's been doing. Although she's denied the money countless times, he still insisted.

Time Skip (They're all on the tour bus, on their way to Louisville, Kentucky)

"You doing okay?" Grace asked Tyler as he took a seat beside her on the couch.

"Even though I've already done this before, I still can't help but be nervous." he confided in her.

"You're gonna be fine. Just imagine yourself standing on stage in your underwear." she said confidently as she patted him on his back. He furrowed his brows in confusion, then tried to hide his laughter.

"Um... I think you're supposed to imagine the AUDIENCE in their underwear, Grace." he said with a pitiful pat on her back.

"Wait... Really?! Well, no wonder I still felt nervous when I was in drama class..." She mumbled to herself while nonchalantly fiddling with her phone. Tyler laughed then leaned on her shoulder, getting comfortable and he began fiddling with his phone as well. Amy and Kathryn smiled then cleared their throats rather loudly. Grace rolled her eyes then grabbed Lachrymose then stuffed her face in it from embarrassment. Not long after that, she fell asleep.

"Tyler just ask her out already!" Ethan whisper shouted.

"I can't right now! I still have to get the right timing..." Tyler whisper shouted back. Amy, Kathryn, Molly and Mandy widened their eyes in shock. Amy quietly rejoiced, Kathryn raised her eyebrows suggestively, Molly patted Tyler on the back and Mandy gave him the good guy thumbs up. Tyler rolled his eyes then went back to fiddling with his phone as he made himself comfortable leaning on Grace. The others made themselves comfortable in their own ways because they were going to be in that bus for two and a half days. Ethan and Kathryn continued to edit the Who Killed Markiplier videos and the rest were messing around and getting some behind the scenes footage for Wade's channel.

Tyler couldn't help but take small glances at her from time to time. He just couldn't resist her and it was killing him inside that he couldn't tell her how he felt because he was scared that he would scare her away. While she was sound asleep, he took his chance and sneakily held her hand. He admired how small and slender her hand really was as he gently brushed his thumb over the back of her hand. He let her hand go and covered his blushing face in embarrassment. Then, he fell asleep out of exhilaration.

Two hours later, Grace woke up because she could hardly feel her arm, then she saw that Tyler had fallen fast asleep. She carefully removed his arm and made him lay down on her lap instead, she then tried to gently shake the feeling back into her arm without waking Tyler up. The others had already fallen asleep and are saving up their energy for when they get to Louisville. She looked around to see that everyone was asleep except for Ethan who was still working on the Who Killed Markiplier videos.

"Ethan, don't you want to catch some zzz's?" Grace asked.

"Kathryn and I are taking shifts." he said with a smile.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.

"Nah, I'm doing okay. But I could use someone to talk to so I can stay awake." he said.

"Alright, what do you want to talk about?" she asked as she unconsciously stroking Tyler's curly hair. Ethan smirked and knew exactly what he wanted to talk about.

"So what exactly is going on with you and Tyler?" he asked girlishly.

"Omg sis, why you askin'?" Grace joked sassily.

"C'mon, girl. Spill all the juicy deets (details)." he said.

"Nothing's going on, sis." Grace said normally, feeling a little disappointed.

"Really?" Ethan asked doubting her response.

"Really. I really don't think I have a chance anyway..." she mumbled as she looked at Tyler longingly as he was sound asleep. Ethan was shocked then started gesturing to the two of them angrily, emphasizing the fact that Tyler was asleep on her lap and she was patting his head.

"Oh please, he could do this with anyone. Guys are like that, sis. I don't want to be hurt again." she said.

"Have you been in a relationship before that ended badly to make you act this way?" he asked.

"I really don't want to call it a relationship considering how we treated each other but yeah. My ex and I started hanging out for about 3 months then just decided that I was not what he wants anymore. Despite always holding my hand, hugging me all the time, sending me cheesy pick up lines and all that bullshit." she said.

"Woah, that guy sounds like a fuckin' douche bag. But I just want to tell you that not all guys are like that, Grace. I'm sure you'll find love again." Ethan said lovingly.

"I'm not rushing anything, Eth. I just want to learn to love myself before I love anyone else." she said.

"Well, for the record, I love you and so do the rest of us. And we absolutely love spending time with you." he said with a smile.

"Thanks, Ethan." Grace smiled and felt genuinely happy from hearing that.


	14. Mistake

Author's P.O.V

"What's happening?"

"I'm jump starting my career in vlogging." Wade said as he zoomed into Grace's nose on his camera.

"Oh wow, congrats." Grace said as she applauded shyly. Tyler walked up to her then handed her 3 wireless mics.

"Awaken your inner wolverine." Tyler said with a straight face as he gave her the mics.

"What?" Wade asked, dumbfounded.

"She has incredibly long nails, it's frickin' crazy." he said to the camera as Wade did another epic zoom up on Tyler's eyes. Grace replaced the batteries in each of the mics with ease, while Tyler has been struggling to get them out for ten minutes already.

"Show that craziness on camera for us." Wade said as he panned the camera towards Grace's hands.

"Grr." she mumbled bluntly as she handed him back the mics.

"Holy crap that is crazy!" Wade exclaimed at the sight of her nails. Then, Wade moved on to filming others with his cool ass camera. Not long after that, the guys did some last minute song rehearsals while the girls ran though some mic checks and light ques. Kathryn continued to work on what she can in the Who Killed Markiplier videos, Amy kept track on the stage props and wireless mics, while Grace was in the tech booth in charge with the lights.

"Yo, Grace. How's it lookin' up there?" Amy said through the mic. Grace didn't know how to work the intercom so she just flickered the stage lights twice for yes.

"Alrighty, looks good. You can come back down now, Grace" Amy said. Grace turned off the control panel then headed backstage. She and Amy took a peak at the guy's rehearsal then Amy went to get them some refreshments.

"Hey, can you look around for Mark? I can't remember the hotel that we're staying at for the night." Amy asked. Grace sent a thumbs up then walked towards Mark's dressing room to find him practicing the song for the VIP pre-show experience. She snuck inside his room and took a seat beside him, he didn't stop playing, he just smiled at her then went back to playing. She surprised him by blending in second voice of the song he was singing, Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur (Sounds kinda like this: /Ustheduo/videos/1462207650540673/ ).

"Wow. You can sing." Mark said, astonished at the sound of her voice.

"Yeah, I loved singing with my dad." she said with a smile.

"Oh, is he still around?" he asked, putting away his guitar.

"Sadly no, he passed away from cancer when I was 10 years old." she said.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss. My dad passed away from cancer too a long time ago." Mark said. Grace and Mark had continued their comfortable chat when Bob and Ethan walked into the room.

"Hey, Grace. Tyler's been looking for you." Bob said.

"Man, I've never seen that guy itching to be with a girl." said Ethan with a face palm.

"Man, Tyler's changed." Mark said with a laugh.

"He's been mentioning you about as much as he loves to do the Big Buddha exercise that we have for improv." said Bob. The three of them laugh while Grace blushed from embarrassment.

"Mark! Amy wanted to get the details on where we're crashing for the night so I suggest you go find her immediately." said Grace, trying to pry them away from the current topic.

"Oh shit, right. Alright, we can call it a night. tell everyone to pack up, we'll be heading to the hotel soon." he said as he walked out the door to rejoin with Amy.

"Grrrr..." Grace growled comically as she jumped on Ethan's back. He caught her in a piggy back ride then ran around frantically, trying to shake her off. They ran around literally everywhere: back stage, the main hall, the dressing rooms, the stage and of course they had run into everyone, including Tyler. He watched them with a smile on his face as they continued to goof and run around. He was about to talk and ask every one to leave but Mark beat him to it.

"Alright, I have the itinerary right here. Everyone grab their stuff and let's hit the hay." Mark said with a sigh of relief. Ethan and Grace continued to laugh their butts off as he put her down then Tyler marched right up to her and instinctively grabbed her hand and they all walked to the hotel in incognito mode. They all went to their own hotel rooms and made themselves comfortable. Each hotel room had two queen sized beds and two people can fit in one. Bob, Mandy, Grace and Tyler shared one room, Mandy took a shower then bob was chilling on the bed while playing some computer games on his laptop.

"Wanna watch something on Netflix?" Tyler asked Grace.

"Sure." She said with a smile. They both lied down on the bed and snuggled up under the covers. Grace turned to her side then held Tyler's phone. While Tyler rested his arm on her waist, pulling her closer to him as she plugged in the earphones, one for each of them to share.

"What do you want to watch?" He mumbled with a warm breath in her ear. She scrolled through the new releases and recommended list and decided to watch but ended up searching Kevin Hart in the search bar.

"Is comedy okay with you?" she mumbled.

"Sure." he said. Grace chose the movie _About Last Night_ and they just started to watch. Mandy sneakily came out of the shower and took out her phone and took the chance to snap some photos of the two of them. Bob caught on and nonchalantly lowered the temperature of their room.

"It's getting a little chilly." She said, snuggling up to him a little closer. Tyler raised up the covers a little higher then started planting light warm kisses on her shoulder. Grace thought that he was starting to cross the boundary a little and she was so angry at herself that she didn't have enough will power to tell him to stop. He wrapped his arms around her tighter, making her even more uncomfortable as it is. Tyler, thinking that Grace was distracted by the movie, sneakily pulled up the shirt she was wearing. Grace jumped out of the bed in fear and shock then pulled down her shirt. Mandy and Bob were shocked at her sudden action since she and Tyler were under covers, they didn't know what happened.

"Grace, I'm sor-"

"What the fuck, Tyler? What was that?" Grace asked, her hands trembling.

"No, no, Grace, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it-" Tyler was cut off by Grace dropping his phone on the bed then grabbing a sweater then running out the door.

"Oh my god, I'll go after her. Bob, talk with Tyler." Mandy said as she quickly got dressed then ran after her.

"Ugh, FUCK!" Tyler exclaimed angrily into his pillow.

"Dude. What the hell just happened?"


	15. Tyler

Author's P.O.V

Tears.

Tears were all Grace could see at this point. Her vision was just as clouded as her thoughts and she didn't know what to do or who to talk to. She stopped and sat down on the bench in front of the elevator and pondered whether she wanted to go down or stay here. Eventually, Mandy caught up to her and she took a seat down beside her while trying to catch her breath.

"Hey now. Don't cry, Grace. What happened back there?" Mandy asked while rubbing her back comfortingly.

"I don't know, Mandy... I was just so shocked, I didn't think that Tyler would do something like that..." she said, trying to steady her breathing.

"Why, what did he do?" she asked.

"He snuck his hand under my shirt under the covers..." she said. Mandy was certainly shocked to hear THAT! She's always known Tyler to be so controlled and disciplined in everything that he does. He was never even the one who made the first move on the previous girls that he's dated.

"Woah. Talk about frisky." she said.

"I didn't think that Tyler was the kind of guy who just gets comfortable around girls he doesn't have feelings for..." she said, wiping away her tears. Mandy knew that she was in no place to tell Grace that Tyler has been actually crushing on her pretty hard for the past month so she just brushed it off.

"Well... I'm guessing you don't want to sleep in our room tonight..." she said gently as she brushed away the stray hairs that fell onto Grace's face. she didn't know how to respond so she just shook her head.

"Aw, that's a shame! I've been wanting to spend more time with you after all... But for the time being, where are you going to stay?" she asked.

"Hey, what's going on?" Ethan asked, walking into the room.

"Oh Ethan! What are you doing here?" Mandy asked.

"I was just getting some soda and snacks for the room. Did something happen? Why aren't you guys with Tyler and Bob?" he asked, while walking over to the vending machine against the wall.

"I don't want to talk about it... Hey Ethan? Mind if I stay in your room tonight?" she asked, trying to hide her true feelings.

"Um sure... I'm pretty sure you can sleep beside Kathryn." he said, grabbing the things that he bought.

"Great!" Grace said, a little relived then followed Ethan back to their room. Mandy patted Grace on the back before heading back to their room. Mandy sighed.

 _'Why don't the two of you just cut the drama and admit you like each other?'_ Mandy thought to herself as she headed back to their room.

By the time Mandy had arrive to their room, she found Tyler and Bob already fast asleep on their beds. Mandy rolled her eyes at their ignorance but just sighed and got under the covers with Bob then dozed off. It wasn't the same for Grace thought. She, Ethan, Kathryn and Brian had fun and goofed around in their room while eating snacks and drinking soda. Ethan knew something was up but didn't want to bring down the atmosphere by asking her about what happened. He did the opposite and just tried to make the atmosphere as joyful as possible and he did quite a good job, Grace was laughing to the point that she actually ran out of breathe a couple times and the people staying in the other room knocked on the wall to keep them quiet. They took the warning and got ready to go to bed. Kathryn and Grace shared one bed while Ethan and Brian shared the other one. Luckily, Grace hadn't forgotten to quickly grab her phone before running out of the room. She longingly stared at the lock screen of she and her best friend, Krystal wearing matching jackets with silly faces.

"Grace, you awake?" Ethan whispered.

"Yep." she said.

"Lot going through your mind?" he asked.

"Yep." She made the popping sound with her lips.

"We can talk if you want." he said.

"No, Ethan. It's okay. You have to rest up for tomorrow." she said, continuing to scroll through and fiddle with her phone, going through more pictures with her and Krystal.

"Fine, if you really don't want to talk about it then answer this. How come you've had no trouble opening up to me or Amy but you struggle so much with opening up to Tyler? He feels really bad that you can't trust him, you know." he said. Grace didn't mean to make Tyler feel bad by not opening up to him. She thought about what she wanted to say.

"It's not that I don't want to open up to him... I'm just so... Ashamed of my past. Trust me, it wasn't easy for me to open up to you two either. I don't think it's necessary for him to know about what happened to me in the past." she said.

"I'm pretty sure that you know that Tyler is an extrovert. He's pretty showy about his feelings and he doesn't really like it when you hide stuff from him." He said.

"Yeah, I've noticed." she said.

"Then that's it. It's all up to you now." he said as he turned over then started dozing off. Grace was left alone with her thoughts. She opened up her phone again and went through her gallery, looking at the selfie that they took when they went out to watch the movie. They were outside sitting by a fire pit that the restaurant had and they had this beautiful and breathtaking view behind the two of them and they both knew that it was the perfect opportunity to snap a quick picture. A few of them had silly snapchat pictures but her favorite one was the one with no filter and the two of them were just smiling, it was as if they were really a couple. Grace's face flushed then she quickly stuffed her phone under the pillow then tried to cool down her face by stuffing it into the pillow. She closed her eyes then cleared her head, letting sleep draw her into its embrace.

 _'Tyler...'_


	16. Scars

Author's P.O.V

Grace was positively overjoyed at the fact that she is actually back stage with Teamiplier on the You're Welcome tour. She continued to hang around back stage and help out with some of the editing and the stage props. She's been spending a lot of time with Molly, Mandy and Brian when they were out on stage. Kathryn had already finished editing the Who Killed Markiplier videos and she had finally been catching up on the rest that she so richly deserves. Wade continued to go around shooting behind the scenes and sneak peaks so she wasn't really that bored. Brian certainly wasn't a bore either, she continued to get to know the rest of the team and Brian was telling her that she reminded him of Ethan when he first joined the Markiplier gang. Grace indeed remembered when she saw Ethan do the back flip for Mark at an old panel, and she has definitely been spending enough time with them that she's been starting to just be calm and not fan girl over the little things. Don't get me wrong, she was still a huge fan but she was getting to know them more as normal people instead of like a celebrity.

They continued on with the tour and Grace would spend her time walking around the theater and going out with Brian, like shopping for a few items and souvenirs. Honestly speaking, she's been trying to have minimal interactions with Tyler, not because she was still mad at him but because she didn't know what to say after overreacting to his sudden gesture on the first night of the tour. But luckily, they were busy rehearsing with Dan anyway. She didn't completely ignore him though, they would coincidentally spend time together because Wade would shoot a ton of behind the scene videos and walk around the theater. The first week of the tour went on just fine and there were a lot of goofs and silly moments especially on the tour bus since they would spend so much time on the road in a cramped space and blame Wade for the most random reasons. They had just finished up the Boston tour and are getting ready for their next road trip going to Pennsylvania. Mandy asked Grace to restock the snack supply and she was looking for Brian so that he can accompany her to the convenience store.

"Grace, I'll wait for you at the entrance. Don't take too long." said Brian, peeking into Grace's room.

"I'll be right there, just let me change my shirt." she said as she gestured at him to get out of the room. He gave her a thumbs up then made his way to the entrance. Little did she know that Brian wasn't able shut the door properly and the door just creeks open silently. With an unsuspecting Tyler already walking down the hallway, looking for the knee brace that Grace lent him earlier this morning. He entered the room where Grace was and he unfortunately caught her changing her clothes. But what intrigued him wasn't her body (okay, he's still a dude so yeah he was kinda intrigued at the sight of her body but THAT'S NOT THE POINT!), but a portrait of scars and scabs all over her back and upper arms. The unsuspecting Grace continued to do her thing while Tyler was dumbfounded at the amount of scars on her back.

"Grace, what happened...?" Tyler said, going into the room and shutting the door behind him. Grace jumped then quickly pulled down the grey turtleneck sweater over her body.

"Tyler! The door makes a sound to notify the people that you're in the room, it's called knocking!" Grace exclaimed as her face flushed from embarrassment.

"What the hell happened to your back?" he asked. Grace's face went from being flushed to losing its color all together.

"You saw that...?" she mumbled.

"Where was that from? Why do you have so many scars?" he asked her. Silence filled the room, Grace's heart was pounding and she was so baffled whether she was ready to open up to Tyler or not. Grace thought back to the conversation that she and Ethan had a few nights before and thought that the cat was gonna get out of the bag sooner or later.

"My parents..." She tried to brush it off nonchalantly and was about to rush past him but he caught her arm before she could walk out the door.

"So this is why you never wear short sleeves..." he mumbled. "Do you have scars all over your body?"

"Most of them are in places where I can hide them under my clothes." she said.

"What... You were abused by your parents...?" he was shocked but was beginning to piece it all together. He understood now why she reacted that way when he put his hand under her shirt.

"Grace! Hurry up!" Brian called her through the hallway.

"I'm coming, Brian!" Grace said as she stride past Tyler but stopped at the door.

"I promise I'll talk about it when we get to the bus. I have to go." she said as she dashed down the hallway, she and Brian made their way to the convenience store. Tyler was shocked and speechless, he honestly didn't know how to react. He's met a few fans that has been through a similar experience and he didn't know why he was so dumbfounded now compared to the time when fans would open up to him about their experiences. His knee started to twitch and he took a seat on the couch. He glanced towards Grace's black bag with colorful triangles and a puffy Pusheen key chain hanging from the zipper with Lachrymose leaning on it and finally understanding why Grace would take a liking to a stuffed toy like it. He had so many question and was relived to know that he was finally going to get some answers.


	17. Tired

Author's P.O.V

Everyone was tried.

It has been a long week and they still have one more week left in the tour. Grace and Brian had returned from the convenience store and began helping everyone pack up. Mark and Ethan were sharing a sheet of seaweed while Wade and Bob were filming it. Kathryn was watching over the upload of the Who Killed Markiplier series and Amy was already fast asleep. Tyler was already in his bunk bed, fiddling with his phone while waiting for Grace and him to talk about what he saw today. But of course, she was really hoping that he had forgotten already or maybe just just fell asleep from tiredness however, that was unfortunately not the case. The others had finished goofing around and Grace took her spot on the other edge of the couch where Bob was sitting. Tyler rolled his eyes, and got out of his bunk bed.

"Molly, you can take my bed." Tyler said as he walked past her. Molly knew that Tyler wasn't really in the mood to talk about why he just offered his bed so she just let him and made her way to the bed. Bob got off the couch and made his way to his bed, and Tyler took his place. Grace faced him in defeat, she sighed then wrapped her arms around her knees.

"What do you want to know." She said.

"Tell me how you got those scars." He said.

"I already told you, I was abused by my parents. They would hit me and take their anger out on me, always comparing me to my sisters and just throwing me around like a rag doll." She brought her knees close to her chest, and couldn't hold eye contact with him for very long.

"At first, the beatings just started with their hands, then with a leather belt, then eventually anything that they could get their hands on. I told my sisters once but I ended up at the hospital after that. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you." she said.

"How did other people not find out about this?" Tyler asked her.

"My parents have their ways. I couldn't tell anyone about it and I wasn't allowed to go out at all besides home and school. The only one who knows about it is my best friend Krystal, and she would sneak me out sometimes and she would take me places." she continued.

"You mean you haven't told Amy and the others?" he asked.

"They don't know the full story. All I told them was that I had a broken family and they let me go to support myself. I've been living with my parents all this time and I ran away because I just couldn't take their abuse anymore." she said as tears continued to stream from her eyes. Tyler was at a loss for words, he wanted nothing but to hold her close and never let her go.

"You said you have sisters. Where are they now? Aren't they going to be helping your parents look for you?" he asked, scooting over a little closer to her as their voices went softer.

"I doubt that my parents are actually looking for me but I haven't spoken to my sisters in a very long time. I doubt they'll find any lead soon. I left nothing behind." She whispered.

"Won't they question your best friend?" he asked.

"Krystal's friends will probably ask her but I doubt my family would. They don't know I had any friends." she said, fiddling with the tip of the blanket.

"Grace, I don't know what to say..." he said.

"You don't need to speak a word of it. I ran away to forget all about it." she said firmly.

"Surely you have someone to reach out to. Do you have any relatives who live here in the U.S.?" he persisted.

"I have a sister here with her family but I'm still scared to talk to her about it. She's the one who told my parents off after the first time I snitched." she said.

"Grace, you can't not tell anyone about it. It's a serious problem." he said, closing the gap between them a little bit more.

"I'm thinking about it. I'm just so scared." she said.

"Grace, the longer you hide from it, the more it's just gonna linger in your mind and bother you even more." he said.

"I'm working on it!" she was about to sissy slap him on the shoulder but he caught her wrist and just focused on her. By now, Grace had gotten used to Tyler's habit of staring her in the face and she didn't have those mini anxiety attacks when he looks her in the eyes. Tyler closed the gap between the two of them and bought her face closer to his.

"Don't worry. You're not alone alone anymore, I'll be here for you whenever you need me." Tyler said as he put their foreheads together and looked lovingly into each other's eyes.

"Thank you, Tyler." she said. Tyler smiled and gently placed his lips on hers.

"We have to get to sleep. You have a busy day tomorrow." she broke off the kiss.

"Sure." he said. She chuckled as Tyler lied down on the couch, leaving her space to lay down beside him. She lied down beside him and she reveled in the warmth of the two of them cuddled up together.

"Good night, One Word Tyler." she whispered as she gently booped his nose with her finger. He chuckled then lazily rested his arm on her waist.

"Night." he said with a small smile as they both drifted off to sleep.


	18. This to That

Author's P.O.V

"Last?"

"Last." Tyler said as he and Grace hi-fived each other but Tyler intertwines their fingers together. Grace blushed and tried to break free from his grip but failed and he continued to wave their hands around playfully. She managed to pry her hand away then she hit him in his shoulder.

"Gross." she laughed.

The team is currently in Nashville, Tennessee and are going to perform the last show for the October leg of the You're Welcome tour. Everyone was exhausted and was excited to head home and get lots of rest. Grace had started spending more time with Tyler again and their late night conversations reassured Tyler's insecurities. Without a doubt, the others had already assumed that they had begun dating already. At this point, Grace couldn't deny either that she had developed feelings for Tyler, not only because she has been a fan girl ever since but as a person and how he can be so down to earth despite his lifestyle.

Grace has watched the show from backstage, front row, back row, and above the stage even and has see the show enough times to last her a life time. So she's spending her time with a bit of sight seeing without going too far from the theater. She was so excited to just walk around and revel in their culture since Nashville is, after all, known as the "Music City". Since she was young, her parents had her take up music lessons since she was a little girl. She hated how she was forced to play for the pleasure of others and not for herself, don't get me wrong, she loves music and always loved playing for herself. When her parents would leave her in the house, she would tinker with the piano and just play the pieces she she loved or when Krystal would sneak her out and bring her to her house, she borrowed her ukulele and began learning how to play right of the bat. She strolled down the street and continued to admire the people who were on the streets, busking in front of so many other people. She smile as she came across a beautiful park. She sat on one of the benches beside a magnificent tree and took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp autumn air. She closed her eyes and felt her soul just take flight, slowly opening her eyes to a clear blue sky.

 _'So this is what it feels like to be free...'_ She thought to herself. Her chest tightened in utter joy, rejoicing at her new found freedom.

 _'All my life, this was what I've been missing?'_ She thought once again. The edges of her lips just curled into a smile as the sun smiled back at her. She watched old people feeding the birds, kids running around playing tag, couples exchanging vows over a bridge, and some just enjoying the solitude, just like her.

"I'm free."

~~Meanwhile (back to at the theater, while Tyler and the others were rehearsing)~~

"Alright, this is the last show, everyone! Let's give it everything we've got! Guys, I'm sending you back to your dressing rooms to get ready and freshen up then let's meet back here in 20 minutes, alright?" Mark said professionally. Everyone responded with a nod then headed back to their dressing rooms. Mark followed Tyler to his dressing room then sat on the couch while Tyler did his post operation stretches.

"Thank you so much dude for helping me out through all of this." Mark said.

"Thank you too, Mark. For helping me through this too." Tyler said with a smile.

"I'm glad that you've met Grace, both of you have been through hell. It's obvious that you two have feelings for each other. Why not ask her out?" Mark said.

"I definitely do plan to ask her out. But for now, we're all too busy and we still have so much more stuff planned-"

"Dude, stop. It's fine. Yeah we're busy but that doesn't mean you can deprive yourself of personal life. Don't make the same mistake I did with Amy." he said. Tyler knew what he was talking about. Mark is a workaholic and always loves spending a lot of his time on big projects and always thinking of new ways to improve his videos. And because of this, Amy had been feeling neglected and is getting used to spending her time alone and now Mark promised to make it up to her once the tour was done. Tyler pondered and thought that maybe he had been dragging the tension for a bit too long. He had fallen for her since they spend the night on his roof top. Since she's been living with him, he didn't feel the need to rush their relationship any further.

"I'll ask her when we get home." he said, continuing to stretch his knee. He felt a twitch on his bad knee followed by a sharp pain which made wince and clutch his knee.

"Woah there, are you alright?" Mark noticed his pained expression then knelt down beside him to help him in any way.

"It hurts..." he grunted.

"Give me your phone, I'll call Grace back." Mark said and did so. Meanwhile, Grace snapped out of her pleasurable moment of peace and freedom to find that call but didn't bother answering it, she just sent a text that she'll be back as soon as she could. She let out a sad sigh, having to leave the wonderful sight. She stood up then walked back to the theater to see what they needed from her.

"Grace, you know more of this stuff. I'll leave it to then." Mark said. Grace brought out her knee brace and Tyler's pain medication

"Take good care of him, Grace." Mark said before closing the door behind him. Grace raised her eyebrow quizzically. Tyler's face flushed then tried to not look at Grace. She rubbed some soothing cream on his knee and made him take his medicine while she adjusted the knee brace.

"What was that about?" Grace mumbled, rhetorically. Tyler was getting light headed because of the blood rush to his head.

"Grace... We live together now right?" he asked.

"Yes... Why? Do you need me to move out?" she asked.

"You like hanging out with me right? not just because you're a fan of Mark's." he disregarded her question.

"Yes of course." she said, starting to get a bit uncomfortable. He leaned in, closer to her face.

"What do you think of me?" he asked. Her heart was pounding and she didn't know what to say. She could say the censored truth so that they could remain friends or she could say the whole truth and wouldn't know what would happen. He stared into her eyes while his heart was pounding in his chest as well. But didn't know what to say at this point and was just speechless. Grace's quivering hand rested on his knee and he held it in his to try and calm her down but it had the opposite effect on her.

"I...-"

"I need everyone back stage in 2 minutes!"


	19. You

Author's P.O.V

And that was it.

The boys said goodbye and took one final bow before stepping off stage. Grace was in Tyler's dressing room, sleeping on the couch. The guys let our a shout of relief and they all just sat back and relaxed as they threw a little after party. They ordered food and brought out some drinks while they waited. Tyler went for a quick trip to his dressing room to change into shorts and do some stretching. He didn't bother opening the lights because he saw that Grace was asleep so he just crept towards his bag and changed into his shorts. He was about to get started on his knee stretches but then he noticed that Grace's phone was opened at a conversation and the person that she was talking to continued to sent messages. Tyler's chest tightened at the thought of him invading her privacy but he was just so curious. He crept closer to her and peered over to try and catch a small glimpse of the chat in her phone.

(A/N: These are messages from Krystal)

"Robin was asking me about you. Are you sure you're not going to tell him?"

"I miss you so much. Don't think I got over what you did on the day you left, I'm just glad that you didn't cut me off completely."

"Hellooooooooo?"

"Am I still talking to anyone?"

"Welp, it looks like you're down for the count. I completely forgot that you're in a completely different time zone."

"It was nice talking to you again, Grace. I miss you so much, don't forget to take care of yourself and drink your meds! It's a lot colder there so make sure to bundle up so you won't catch a cold. I'll hold down the fort while you're gone, and I'll do my best to keep you under cover on my end. And I'm really excited to meet this Tyler guy that you keep talking to me about! *wink emoji*"

"Try talking to Robin when you get to LA, please. He's worried sick about you. Alright that's it. I love you, baiiii." And with that, Krystal stopped sending messages. Tyler smiled at her dedication and the love that she had for Krystal. No wonder Grace cried when she mentioned Krystal before. Tyler stood there and thought about how much he still doesn't know about Grace and thinking back, they've only been hanging out for about 2 months at most. He still want to know so much more about her and he want to spend all his time with her and just see her smile always. He wants to make up for all that time that she's spent alone, crying. He took a seat on the floor, beside the couch that she was sleeping on and reveled in the sight of her sleeping face. He carefully brushed away the hair that was blocking her face and gently tucked it behind her ear.

"Smile always, Grace." he whispered. Then there was a knock on the door.

"Tyler, the food's here! Come grab a bite with us!" Amy said softly through the door.

"Yeah, we'll head out in a minute." he said. He gave Grace a gentle shake then smiled.

"Oh hey, how'd the show go?" she asked groggily as she stood up then headed to the washroom to wash her face.

"It was great! It was very fulfilling." he said as he began his knee stretches.

"That's good!" she said, muffled because of the cold water she was splashing on her face.

"Let's go get some food after my stretches. Did you get good rest?" he asked.

"Not that much. I just set up my new social media accounts and stuff and Krystal was barking at me for not coming in contact with her sooner." she said with a laugh as she sat back down on the couch as she brought her legs close to her chest.

"I would love to meet Krystal some time." Tyler said. He saw the glimmer in her eyes when she heard those words come out of his mouth. But was immediately replaced with hesitance.

"Maybe someday, when we have this all sorted out." she said, while fiddling with her phone. He could hear the sadness that was laced in her words despite the obviously face smile that she plastered onto her face. The awkward silence kicked in and he wanted to break the tension. While Grace was trying to choke back her tears, he cleared his throat and caught her attention.

"So does any one else contact you? I think I remember you mentioning that you had a boyfriend." he said, as his chest tightened a bit.

"I don't talk to him anymore... I just want to leave everything behind you know? It isn't like he was looking for me anyway, Krystal told me." she said sassily. Tyler's chest loosened up from relief then he stood up.

"I'll help with that. I promise to make you forget all the bad days and just give you all the good days." He said as he stood up then stood in front of her. Blood rushed to her cheeks as her lips curled into a small smile. He put out his hand then he helped her stand up until they were standing in front of each other, lip distance apart.

"I promise to make you smile always, if you let me. You won't regret it." he said, resting his forehead on her's.

"Wait wait... what are you trying to say...?" she asked, dumbfounded, having trouble getting air into her lungs and making the right words to come out of her mouth. Tyler couldn't help but laugh from embarrassment, he snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, making her even more uncomfortable, not in a bad way.

"You're really making me say it out loud, aren't you?" he mumbled, loud enough for her to hear. He brought her to his chest, so he didn't have to deal with eye contact. They could both feel each other's hears pounding and were relieved that feeling was mutual.

"I think my elevated heart rate says enough." he said, stifling a laugh.

"Maybe you're just exhilarated from the show..." she said, having trouble controlling her breathing. He pulled away from the hug then looked her dead straight in the eyes. He used his hand to keep cup her cheek so her eyes doesn't stray away from his.

"We both know that's not the case." he simply said before leaning in. the blood rushing through her veins made her clutch at his arm with quivering fingers. Their lips meet for a brief moment but Grace immediately pulls away from insecurity because she became subconscious about her quivering lips.

"I'm sorry, I'll do better..." she said while looking away, embarrassed.

"It's fine, you're just perfect." he said, bringing her face back to his. Grace just closed here, trying to blur everything out and not let her anxiety scream and shout at the back of her head. They broke apart, faces both just flustered to the max.

"You..." they said in unison but didn't bother because they both knew that words were just not happening at the moment so they both just started laughing at their loss for words.

"The pizza's gonna go cold!" Amy called out once again from the door.

"Yeah, we'll be right out!" Tyler replied. Grace instinctively brought her cold hands to her cheeks to try and bring down the temperature of her face. Tyler couldn't help but smile at her attempt to calm herself down then notice that he actually looks like her.

"Let's just go, before my brain explodes..." she said, already pacing out the door.


	20. Problems

Author's P.O.V

All was well and they were leaving Nashville and on their way home to LA. Everyone was tired but happy having finished their last show for the October leg of the tour, but they still had to get ready for the January leg of the tour next. Which was starting to make Grace anxious considering that her sister lived in LA and Robin, her 12 year old nephew, was sure to have bought tickets to the show. As early as now, Grace has been trying to figure out what to do or say if ever she is to encounter Robin at the show. Tyler was of no help at all, he wanted to meet up with Robin and her sister's family but Grace was totally against it. The first people Tyler wanted to tell their relationship status with was family, but for Grace, it was out of the question. However, she agreed to meeting his family and he was excited to relay the news to them. While they were on the trip home and Tyler was sleeping soundly beside her, she was pondering whether to tell Krystal and Robin that she'll be staying in LA for a lot longer than she expected. She had not problem with telling Krystal but was really worried that Robin might snitch on her before she's ready to talk to her sister about it. By this time, she was sure that her sister has heard the news from her parents and have started searching on her end as well.

With all these problems clouding her thoughts, she felt more and more hopeless by the second. Tyler really wants her to stop running and face the problem head on. But all she's done in her life is hide and follow orders. Her brain ached from all the pressure that she was giving herself. She put her forearm over her eyes and let out a sigh pf defeat.

"Can't sleep?" She was startled by Tyler. She didn't bother answering, she just laid down facing him and shut her eyes, trying to forget everything for a while. Tyler pulled the sheets over her and brought her close to his chest. He enjoyed stroking her hair while she was slowly drifting off to sleep.

"Everything will sort itself out. Don't worry." He whispered before falling asleep.

~~Back in LA (a week later)~~

"You should join us for the stream, I would love to introduce you!" Mark said.

"Oh, no please! I'll be fine! I didn't play a very big part in it anyway." she said.

"Nonsense! It's just a charity live where we're gonna talk about Who Killed Markiplier." he insisted.

"As much as I would love to, I already have something planned on that day, sorry. But I'm glad that you're done with your hiatus, Mark!" Grace said.

"Really? Where ya headed?" Tyler asked her.

"I'm meeting up with my nephew to see if I can start sorting some things out." she said.

"That's good!" he exclaimed then gave her a hi-five.

"Oh and Mark, if it's alright with you, mind if you give my nephew, Robin, a shout out during your stream? He's just an absolute die hard fan of yours." she said with a big smile and a laugh because it's her fault that Robin is so addicted to Mark's channel.

"I think I know something better than a shout out." he said as he stood up and walked out the door. When he came back, he had brought back the special t-shirts that are to be given away in the live stream. He got a sharpie and a piece of paper and sighed it.

"What size is your nephew?" he asked.

"Wait, aren't those the t-shirts for the give away? I can't possibly-"

"Don't worry about it, Grace! We have lots more where those came from." he said with a big goofy grin. Grace thanked him and accepted the t-shirt.

That night, as she was getting ready for bed and Tyler was finishing up with his live stream on Twitch. While he was saying goodbye, she crept onto the bed and fiddled with her phone, making sure not to be noticed in the camera.

"So you're going to hang out with your nephew tomorrow right? Will you be alright? You want me to come with you?" he asked, as he went to the washroom to get ready for bed.

"Ty, we talked about this, I'll be fine geez." she said with a laugh. He came back and got under the covers with her as they both just sat on the bed while they both fiddled with their phones, Grace was chatting with Robin and where they would meet tomorrow while Tyler was lurking in the post stream chat.

"Aw I really wanted to meet your nephew." he said, continuing to lurk. Grace scrolled through her phone and showed Tyler a picture of the two of them.

"I took this picture three years ago, who knows how big he's gotten now." she said.

"You two look like the best of friends! So cute. It's just me and my brother so I haven't experienced having younger siblings or nieces and nephews." he said.

"Robin doesn't have any other siblings so I would spend a lot of time playing with him." she said.

"I hope you have tons of fun tomorrow." he said, closing his phone and getting more comfortable in the bed.

"Be safe tomorrow, okay?" she said, switching off her phone and turning off the lamp and getting under the covers with him. They were facing each other and Tyler wanted to hug her but Lachrymose (A/N: that's Grace's stuffed dog, in case you forgot hehe) was in between the both of them.

"Can I move Lachrymose...?" he asked awkwardly. She booped his nose and stuck out her tongue.

"No." she said then turned her back towards him. He didn't want to laugh but did anyway because she was being so cute.


	21. Don't Tell

Author's P.O.V

"No."

Grace laughed with utter joy as she saw the color drain from Robin's face, in a good way! His fingers were trembling as he slowly reached out his hands to hold the shirt that she was giving him. His eyes were wide and the world around him seemed to fade out as he stared at the metallic foil print that shined on the shirt.

"Where did you get this...?" he turned his hear towards her, quite creepily which kinda weirded Grace out.

"You know how I told you that I've been living at a friend's house for the past 3 months now right?" she said.

"Yeah, and? Do they work for Mark or something?!" He asked excitedly.

"Well, to be perfectly honest, I have been working with Mark, helping with the editing and such since Kathryn works for Ethan now. This shirt is actually from the upcoming charity live stream, Mark said they had a surplus so he gave me one and I asked him to sign it for you." she explained. Robin's eyes widened even more which was even weirder to look at. Robin was flabbergasted and really didn't know what to say, just at the thought of his aunt working for his most favorite YouTuber.

"But Robin, please promise me this. You CANNOT let your mom know of my whereabouts." she said with utmost seriousness.

"But this is Markiplier we're talking about! How do you expect me not to-"

"You tell, you're never gonna see me for the rest of your life." she cut him off. It may seem like kind of an exaggeration but the overwhelming fear that was rushing back to her body at the thought of her family finding out about where she was and what she was doing clouded her rational thinking. Despite Robin's excitement just a moment ago, his face lost all expression as he began thinking about what he should do in the situation at hand.

"You do know that mom and Grammie have been looking all over for you." he said, worriedly. Grammie meaning Grace's mom, and no, Robin has no clue about the scars that she has gotten from her. She tried telling him once but he wouldn't believe it. He's always been spoiled rotten by Grace's mom since he was born, considering that he is her one and only grandchild. Grace's other sister doesn't plan on having kids any time soon, since she lives with her female partner. Yes, you read that right, Grace's other older sister is a lesbian and has been living with her partner for the past seven years. While her eldest sister lives in LA with her husband and in-laws and Robin. Grace didn't know how to respond to his concern.

"I'll tell them where I am when I'm ready, Robin. For now, I'll just let everything sort itself out. Please just understand, be thankful that I even told you at all. If it weren't for Krystal and Tyler-"

"Woah, woah, hold up. Tyler who? Mark's childhood friend?" he cut her off. She let out a sigh of defeat because she completely forgot that she didn't want to mention Tyler to him. She didn't even bother giving him a response, she lust leaned back into her chair and gave him a 'I think you know the answer to that' look.

"I've been living with Tyler this whole time, alright?" she said.

"Oh my gosh. Mom's gonna kill you if she finds out you're staying at a guy's house!" he said, sort of teasingly.

"He's not just any guy, Rob. We're dating." she said.

"Oooooohhhhhhhh." He said teasingly as he nudged her elbow. She rolled her eyes dismissively and took a sip from her red iced tea.

"I love you so much, Onee, and I'm so glad that you're safe. If you want me to keep this a secret, then I will. But please just promise me that you'll open this up to them in the future." he said seriously as he looked her on the eyes (A/N: "Onee-chan" or "Onee", pronounced as o-neh, means older sister in Japanese since my nephew and I love watching anime hehe)

"I will, I promise. Thank you so much for understanding. I can introduce you to the team when I get the chance, that is if you'll keep that a secret too." she said with a laugh. He nodded his head vigorously and she gave him a thumbs up.

Robin's friends started showing up and they made their way into Universal Studios. Grace payed for their tickets and went with them to check the rides. Her personal favorite was the Simpsons Ride and one of Robin's friends even won her a small Bart plushie from one of the game stands. They rode all the rides they could see and she treated them to lunch and of course she and Robin talked about their little secret so that they won't talk about Grace to Robin's mom. They walked around and Grace took their pictures with the mascots. They spend the day walking around and having fun and the weight on Grace's chest started to lift, allowing her to become more comfortable with Robin and his friends. As the day ended, Grace made sure that Robin contacted his parents to pick him up but left before they arrived so her cover won't be blown. She stopped by a restaurant and got dinner for her and Tyler before heading home.

"Tyler? I got us dinner! Are you home?" She called out softy before locking the door behind her with the spare house key that Tyler had given her. She put the food down on the table and walked around, looking for him. She found him a sleep on the couch with paperwork all over the floor, laptop open, a mug of coffee half full, a pen in hand and drool trickling down his chin. It took every fiber of her being to try and not laugh so she took this opportunity to take a quick snap shot of him while he was sleeping. After she hid her phone, she held his hand and gave him a gentle shake.

"Tyler? Don't sleep here, you'll get sick." she whispered. He groaned, irritated. She urged him to stand up and still held his hand as she guided him to the bedroom. He walked half asleep behind her while rubbing his eyes. He could only focus his blurry vision on her, causing him to lean on her nape and wrap his arms around her shoulders. She blushed and thought that he was giving her a hug but she noticed that he was getting heavier and heavier, nearly bringing her down to the ground. She managed to balance herself and keep him on her shoulders, he was already falling back to sleep! She dragged his heavy body towards the bedroom and just threw him on the bed, rolling the covers over him. She stretched her arms above her head and cracked her back.

"Damn man baby." She mumbled as she rubbed her shoulders.

"Love yah." He said, trying to fight back his laughter. She hit him on his shin and he laughed.

"I can't believe you were awake! Why did you let me drag you all the way to the bed?!" she asked.

"Cuz I was lazyyyyyy~~~." He groaned as he turned his back towards her and hugged Lachrymose. She hit him again on his lower back then made her way to the washroom to get ready for bed.


	22. Past Mistake

Author's P.O.V

*~Back at the Philippines~*

Grace's mom has been searching for her all over, with rage building up from the embarrassment that she is causing her. she had been going all out and even reached out to calling the Facebook help line to help track her down, but they weren't able to track her IP address since she deleted her data and started again from scratch. Grace's mom didn't want to reach out to other people because of her pride, so she hasn't come in contact with Krystal yet. However, Krystal has been dealing with problems of her own. Keeping Grace's secret has been one of the hardest tasks that she's ever done. Tons and tons of people have been asking her about where Grace is, even the professors have approached her at some point. She stood her ground and denied as much as she could and managed to convince them that her guess is just as good as theirs.

"Krystal! Wait up!" a voice from behind her called out. Krystal rolled her eyes and didn't bother even looking back to see who was calling her because she already knew who it was. The guy who called out to her managed to catch up and stop her for getting away.

"What do you want, David?" she asked impatiently.

"It's almost the mid-quarter test. Where is Grace?" he asked.

"I have told you a hundred times, I really don't know. I'm worried about her too." She internally cringed at the lie so she tried walking away but he stopped her again.

"We both know that's not the case. The two of you were inseparable, I KNOW you know something." he pressured her.

"Leave me alone, David. I don't know where she is." she said, trying even harder to get away from him. But he still found a way to stop her in her tracks.

"Please. You have to tell me, I'm so worried about her." he said with pleading eyes. Krystal retorted violently.

"What the fuck? Worried? After you blocked her? Avoided her? Is that what you would call worried?" she said. David didn't know what to say because he honestly had no defenses.

"Do you know how many hours I've sat beside her on the bathroom floor as she cried her heart out for you? Do you know how much money she spent just to buy you the things you want without you even telling her? Do you know how hard she was beaten after getting caught by her parents? She sacrificed so much for you, and all you could think about was yourself. TWICE." she said, tears building up in her eyes as she remembered all the hear ache that Grace had to go through when she was dating David. He became guilty and went numb, letting go of Krystal's shoulder.

"You have absolutely NO idea of the damage you caused her when you left her without a valid reason. You've instilled a fear in her that whoever comes next will leave her too. _Shame on you._ " She said, poison laced in her words. David felt the daggers that Krystal was throwing at him with her stare. It was as if her look can kill him right on the spot.

"And now you're gonna go looking for her and ask for her forgiveness for a third time, make her fall in love with you, and mess her up all over again? Nuh uh, no way. There is no way I'm letting you do that to her again. She's better off where she is now, glad she was able to finally replace you." she said as she finally managed to walk away before her tears started rolling down her cheeks. Krystal hurried to her next class as David stood there, also with tears running down his face. The agony that he felt after finding out about the pain that he's caused her as well as the fact that Grace has found someone to make her happy.

He didn't even care that he was already late to his next class. He noticed that Krystal dropped something on the floor, he crouched to see that it was two Polaroid pictures. He turned them over to see it was a picture of Krystal and Grace laughing together and the other on was just Grace looking at the camera with a soft smile while the sun shines through the trees behind her. He desperately missed that smile, he hasn't seen her for almost two years now. He blocked her for about six months and when he went to unblock her just recently, he already saw that she deleted her accounts. He stared at her picture and thought back to the moments that they spend together, which was a shame considering that they spent more time avoiding each other that actually being together. But he still missed those late night chats, secret outings, mysterious gifts. He knew about her family for a long time and his still had to be an idiot and avoid her. He put the pictures in his pocket and made his way to his next class.

Krystal reached into her bag to grab her notebook but noticed that the pictures that she stuck inside were gone. She rummaged around her back more but still wasn't able to find them. At least she had a copy of those photos but it wasn't a Polaroid anymore. He let out a sigh and started taking notes. Her phone vibrated and she was that it was a message from Grace. She sneakily opened her phone under her desk and saw that Grace send a photo.

 _"We went out on a picnic today! I miss you!"_ Grace texted with a picture of her and Tyler eating sandwiches in a grassy park with the cutesy flower crown filter from Snapchat. Krystal giggled silently and put away her phone, putting her attention back to the lecture.


	23. Spoiled

Author's P.O.V

 _"Achoo!"_

"Oh no, are you catching a cold?" Tyler asked, concerned as he rubbed her arms to warm her.

"It's just starting to get a little chilly..." She said as she patter his hands, signaling that she was okay.

"Do you have any love sleeves? Or other thick clothing?" he asked her as he grabbed a grey hoodie.

"No, it's always hot in the Philippines." she said. He handed her the hoodie and thanked him, she put it on and fixed herself in the mirror.

"It is winter. Let's get you some clothes, while we shop for the things we need for the next live stream." He said. The two of them headed out and began shopping for the things that they needed for Mark's November live stream. The store clerks gave them strange looks when they had to buy blindfolds and the ball gag. As they ran through the check list a few more times, they got drinks and took a seat on the mall bench.

"Do we have everything we need?" Tyler asked Grace before taking a sip from his drink.

"Hm... We still need to get the Jenga set and the blow pens." she said as she scrolled through her phone.

"It's still pretty early. After we put these in the car, let's go get you some winter clothes." He said a he stood up and threw away his empty cup in the trash can. Grace quickly picked up the stuff that they bought and followed behind Tyler.

The two of them went through the department store and Tyler made her try on a few outfits. Grace had asked him for his help because she rarely has the chance to go shopping, usually, her mom does it all for her whether it's her style or not. She mostly picked out hoodies and sweaters to keep her body warm enough for the winter, along with a few festive and casual t-shirts and blouses. Tyler had even chose a few dresses for her but she only ended up getting two of them because she knew that it was not really her style.

"I can't believe you made me buy a dress! What is wrong with you." she said, trying to hide her smile.

"It looked good! Is it bad to think that you looked good in a dress?" He said defensively as they loaded up their shopping bags into the car again. As they got into the car, an idea popped up in Tyler's head.

"Anywhere else you want to stop by?" he asked her as they both buckled up.

"No." she said as she looked out the window.

"Alright then let's get gussied up." He said as he drove out of the parking lot."

"What, what do you mean? Where are we going?" She asked him.

"Let's go for a spa day!" He said.

"Oh my gosh, I think you're more of a girl than I am." She said, stifling a laugh.

"Aw thanks girl~" He said teasingly. They both laughed and Tyler continued to drive. He took her to the salon that he and Pat went to on her birthday.

"I'm so nervous... Krystal and I could never afford a spa day together. What should I do?" she asked him.

"Relax, just follow my lead." He said as he picked out a color of nail polish and so did she. She followed behind Tyler like a little duckling. They were both given the royal treatment and Grace actually enjoyed having her nails done with Tyler. The other women who worked there recognized him and started chatting it up with him and even told Grace about how they were similar when he first got his spa day. They spend their time having fun at the salon and went home relaxed and beautiful! And of course their little spa date wasn't complete without a quick selfie, which she sent to Krystal and a loving message.

Once they got home, Tyler cleared out some space from his closet for her to put her clothes in. He smiled at the thought of the two of them getting more and more comfortable with each other with each passing day. He reminisced about their first encounters and how hard it was to get her to open up to him. Just at the sight of her putting her clothes in his closet and her stuff slowly incorporating into his, making a mixture of memories and new experiences. She single handedly turned his house into a home. Or rather, a home doesn't always mean four walls and a roof, it can also be two eyes and a heart beat. She continued to fix up the mess that she made while rearranging their stuff and he stood up and sneakily wrapped his arms around her waist. He quickly lifted her up and plopped her on the bed, followed by a vicious tickle attack. She kicked around, trying to break free from his grasp while trying to hold back her uncontrollable laughter.

"No, no, NO! Bad Tyler! BAD!" She exclaimed in between squeals of laughter while trying to push away his hands from her waist. She managed to get her hand to land on his ear and she pinched it roughly. That definitely got him to stop tickling her long enough for her to escape his evil clutches. He laughed at her as she tried to catch her breath.

"I'm sorry, you just looked so defenseless. I couldn't possibly pass up the opportunity." He said. She hit him playfully on the shoulder and stuck her tongue out at him. He retorted and did the same. She was about to hit him again but her phone rang.

"That must be Krystal, shut up for a little bit." she said as she picked op her phone from the end table beside the bed. He just gave her a thumbs up and headed to the washroom to get ready for bed. She glanced at the screen to see that it was actually Robin calling her. She walked out of the room and out to the back yard so Tyler won't hear their conversation.

"Hey, Robin. What's u-"

"Grace?! Is that you?! What the hell?! Where the fuck are you?!" She was shocked to hear that it was her sister's voice coming from the phone. She glanced at the name of the caller again and saw for sure that it was Robin she was talking to.

"Aileen? How did you know where to call me?" Grace asked, her heart rate picking up from her anxiety.

"We've been looking all over for you! Please, tell me where you are so I can let mom know that you're sa-"

"No! If you call her, you'll never hear from me again for good." She said aggressively.


	24. Busted

Author's P.O.V

"Grace, I don't underst-"

"Just don't call her please." Grace insisted as her sister was pacing on the other side of the phone.

"Why not?" She asked.

"Aileen. Just please don't. I'll explain everything to you, I promi-"

"Damn right you're gonna explain to me! I have been worried sick since mom told me you were missing! I didn't know where to start looking, I haven't spoken to you in such a long time! And..." Grace's sister couldn't continue her rant because she had started crying. Grace's chest tightened from sadness at the thought of her making her sister cry because of worry.

"I'm so sorry, Aileen." she mumbled as tears started to form in her eyes.

"Please just tell me you're safe. Are you eating well? Drinking your medicine? Sleeping under a roof?" Aileen asked, trying to calm down.

"Yes, Aileen. I'm doing just fine." she said reassuringly.

"Okay. That's good." She said.

"Aileen, please don't mention this to anyone. Please, not even to your husband. Only you and Robin know that I'm okay." she said. Her sister didn't know what to say so Grace heard silence from the other line.

"Fine. But you have a lot of explaining to do." she said, with a mixture of relief, anger and sadness in her tone.

"Thanks sis. I'll come to you. I love you." Grace said, finally able to breathe a bit.

"I love you too." Aileen replied.

"Can you pass the phone to Robbie first? Thanks." she said. Aileen handed the phone to Robin but he was too scared to say a word.

"You're in trouble." Grace said bluntly before hanging up. The tears she had been holding back finally started streaming down her eyes. She wrapped her arms around her self to keep her warm as she continued to try and calm herself down. Tyler saw her outside and went over to her.

"Hey, it's cold. Come inside." he said sternly. She quickly wiped away her tears and went back inside. He grabbed her hand to prevent her from getting away from him.

"Hey, what's wrong? Who were you on the phone with?" he asked her worriedly. She couldn't dare look straight into his clear blue eyes because she felt like he could see right through her. She couldn't think of anything to say, her mind was a blur from anxiety.

"It's nothing, I have to go." she said as she quickly brushed past him and darted to their room. He quickly followed after her to find her ripping out all of the clothes that she had placed inside his closet, except the ones they just bought together.

"What the hell is happening? What's going on?" He asked as he tried to stop her from taking out her clothes from the closet.

"Let go of me. I told you it's nothing." She said as she fought against him and continued to arrange the contents of her bag. She showed no signs of backing down and left Tyler no choice but to get and answer forcefully. He grabbed her wrists and held them firmly within his grip as he stared her down, demanding answers.

"Tyler, let go!" She exclaimed in anger while trying to break free from his grip.

"No. Tell me what's wrong." He said.

"Nothing's wrong! Now, let go!" She replied angrily as tears started to fall from her eyes.

"I'm not going to let you go that easily, Grace! Stop shutting me out!" He shouted angrily, but immediately regretted it after seeing the look of fear on her face. The fear from his change of tone rendered her immobile as he slowly let go of her wrists. She drew her wrists back protectively and knelt on the floor with her head down and messy hair covering her tearful face. He let out a sigh and sat on the floor in front of her. He was about to bring his hand to fer face but she instinctively flinched back. He softened his gaze on her and gently brushed the hair away from her face to reveal her face. He cupped her cheeks and made her look at him. He flashed her the _'I know something's wrong, you can't fool me'_ look.

"C'mere." He whispered as he gestured for her to come into his embrace. She didn't say anything, but like a child, she crawled into his embrace. He wrapped his legs and arms around her comfortingly as she sobbed at his chest and he gently strokes her hair.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you. I wasn't thinking." he whispered. She didn't respond, she just fidgeted around with his shirt.

"But I meant what I said, Grace. I worked hard to finally have you, I'm not going to let you go so easily." he said.

"My sister found out about me." She said. He wanted to asked questions but decided to just let her explain it first.

"Robin snitched on me and told my sister. Now she wants to see me, and I'm scared that she'll tell mom about me... and I won't be with you anymore..." She said barely above a whisper.

"Then let's meet her. We'll explain everything to your sister. Have more faith in her." he said.

"I'm scared..." She said as she clutched his shirt.

"I'll go with you, don't worry." he said. She was shocked and looked at him directly.

"But you're always so busy! With your streams and your merch and the upcoming live stream and-"

"Stop. I'll take some time off. I'm sure that they'll understand. I'll plug out for a bit then we'll sort it all out. After all, you've always been so supportive of me so now it's my turn. I never got the chance to help you out with your problems." he said as he nuggied her head.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Yes, I'm sure." he said with a smile.

"No, really?" she asked.

"Yes, really." he said.

"Sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Are you really-"

"Grace. I am sure." he cut her off as he cupped her cheek. cheeks flushed as she tried to avoid his gaze. He just smirked and leaned in to hiss her.

She kissed back.


End file.
